Performance Evaluation of Spiral Coil Receiver for Thermal Steam Generation Using Optical and Thermal Analysis of Parabolic Dish Concentrator

Abstract

Solar energy has been advocated as the substitute for depleting fossil fuels for thermal applications and electricity generation. The research was aimed at determining the performance evaluation of the spiral coil receiver for thermal steam generation using a parabolic concentrating system. The parabolic dish solar concentrator (PDSC) with a rim angle of450C, the focal length of 6.15 m, and an aperture area of 5.8 m2 were designed and constructed for the determination of the variables. The PDSC and spiral coil receiver were made of stainless-steel reflector sheet and copper tube pipe respectively. Since the PDSC is for high enthalpy steam generation, it can be used for hot water and cooking applications. A finite element stress analysis was carried out to determine the thermal and optical efficiency of the system under various weather conditions. The thermal efficiency and optical analysis of the system were determined and obtained to be 54.4%, and 48.6% respectively. The efficiency according to the finding depends on the optical properties of the materials involved, the geometry of the collector, and the various imperfections arising from the construction of the collector.