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Design and Modification of Parabolic Trough Solar

Collector for Performance Effectiveness
1st Idowu David Ibrahim 2nd Yskandar Hamam 3rd Yasser Alayli
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering d’Ingenierie des Systemes de Versailles
Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology Universite de Versailles Saint-Quentin-
Pretoria, South Africa. Pretoria, South Africa. en-Yvelines Versailles, France
Universite de Versailles Saint-Quentin- Emeritus Professor, ESIEE – Paris, [email protected]
en-Yvelines, France France
[email protected] [email protected] 5th Rotimi Sadiku
Institute for NanoEngineering Research
4th Tamba Jamiru Department of Chemical Metallurgy
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering
Tshwane University of Technology Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South Africa Pretoria, South Africa
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract— Globally, parabolic trough solar collector parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs), among others.
installation is in high demand among the various concentrating PTSC can be made by simply bending a reflective flexible
solar power (CSP) technologies due to the high energy demand. sheet material into a parabolic shape. The absorber tube,
The design involves the bending of a flexible reflective material which can be made from copper, stainless steel, etc., having
that concentrates the solar irradiation that lands on the collector
a glass tube cover to reduce the rate of heat loss, is placed
surface to the focal line; this is where the absorber pipe is
positioned. This paper presents a modified parabolic trough along the PTSC focal line [5]. Fig 1 shows a schematic design
solar collector with the aim of controlling the output of the PTSC.
temperature and protecting the glass cover from damage during There are several advantages, such as: high efficiency,
rainfall with hailstones. The design focused on the incorporation high power density, versatility, durable against moisture
of a polymeric cover. The design takes into consideration the effects modularity and high probability of long lifetime that
position of the focal line of the collector, therefore, the cover are associated with parabolic trough collectors. In addition,
slider was placed at a point above the absorber pipe. A the majority of the system parts can be sourced and
prototype of the resulting product will be installed on the manufactured locally [6]. The low construction cost is
rooftop of Building 2 of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built
responsible for the huge attraction of developers and investors
Environment, Tshwane University of Technology,
Staatsartillerie Road, 0183, Pretoria West Campus, Pretoria, of this technology. Globally, this form of CSP is the cheapest
South Africa. when it comes to capital cost for solar power stations. If the
receiver temperature is high, the system efficiency will be
Keywords— Solar energy, energy conversion, parabolic high, therefore, electricity generation and its conversion will
geometry be improved [7]. There are several studies on the PTSC
systems, focusing on the geometry [8], heat transfer fluid [9],
I. INTRODUCTION tracking [10] [11], insert [12], reflector material [13], etc. The
purpose of the study is to enhance the geometry of the solar
High energy demands globally, have influenced the rapid
collector by introducing polymeric cover for the solar
and continued research by engineers and scientists to
concentrator and the glass absorber pipe.
developing and improving the methods of energy generation,
conversion and storage. This demand has equally contributed
to finding alternative sources of energy to complement the
major source of energy, which is from fossil fuels (natural gas,
coal and oil). Solar energy seems to be a promising choice due
to the numerous problems, such as: fossil fuel depletion,
increasing electrical energy demand, global warming, low
water tables and in general, the attendant environmental
hazards (air, water and land pollution) [1] [2] [3] associated
with fossil fuels. Solar energy is one of the most abundant
energy sources that has been discovered to have tremendous
potentials [4]. The sun releases approximately 1.7×1014 kW of
solar irradiation on the earth's surface [4].
One of the useful and visible ways of harnessing the
potential of the sun is by a technique known as concentrating
solar power (CSP) technology [3]. This method simply Fig. 1. Schematic design of PTSC
involves the capturing and concentrating of the solar
irradiation onto a focal point. This can be achieved by using

The first author appreciates the financial support received from CSIR DST-
Interbursary Support (IBS), South Africa toward the research work.

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II. MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY ೑

଼
߮௥ ൌ ܽ‫ ݊ܽݐܿݎ‬൥ ೈ
೑ మ
൩ (2)
The construction of a parabolic trough solar collector ଵ଺‫כ‬ቀ ቁ ିଵ
ೈ
depends, majorly, on three key factors, which are the:
torsional resistance, parabolic shapes of the collector and the
absorber/reflector materials. The collector weight and The overall collector aperture area (‫ܣ‬௔ ) was calculated by
environmental factors, such as wind speed, rain, etc. can lead finding the product of the collector length (‫ )ܮ‬and the width
to the generation of high moments at the rotating part of the (ܹ), as shown in Equation 3.
system. The overall system performance and efficiency are
functions of the design, therefore, serious considerations were ‫ܣ‬௔ ൌ ‫ܹ כ ܮ‬ (3)
made in the choice of materials and the geometry of the PTSC.
The main components of the PTSC used for this research are Concentration ratio (‫ )ܥ‬of the geometry is defined as the
the concentrator (flexible mirror), receiver, support structure, ratio of the collector aperture area to the absorber area (‫ܣ‬௔௢ )
tracking system, heat transfer liquid and other accessories (that is, the outer area of the absorber tube), where ‫ܦ‬௔௢ is the
(bolt and nut, insulator, etc.). The flexible plastic mirrors were outer diameter of the absorber.
carefully mounted on the supporting structure made from mild
஺ೌ
steel to facilitate the reflection and concentration of the solar ‫ ܥ‬ൌ (4)
஺ೌ೚
irradiation of the sun unto the focal line of the parabolic trough
collector; this is where the fluid flows through the evacuated ‫ܣ‬௔௢ ൌ ߨ ‫ܦ כ‬௔௢ ‫ܮ כ‬ (5)
glass tube. This process helped to achieve the required
temperature. Furthermore, the PTSC was designed with a B. Thermal model of PTSC
sliding polymeric cover in order to protect the evacuated glass The quantity of PTSC useful heat production is a function
tube during the raining period that comes with hailstones. of the specific heat capacity of the fluid, beam solar irradiation
Therefore, the PTC is installed with a rain detector sensor. The and the aperture surface area. The heat production can be
essence of the rain sensor is to alert the system that there is calculated by using the energy balance of the fluid volume, as
rain, which may come with hailstones that have the potential shown in Equation 6 [1].
to damage the evacuated glass tube. Table I shows the ܳ௖ሶ ൌ  ݉ሶ ‫ܥ כ‬௣ ‫ כ‬ሺܶ௢௨௧ െ ܶ௜௡ ሻ (6)
characteristic features of the collector to be installed.
The available solar irradiation ( ܳ௦ ) received on the
TABLE I. Characteristics features of the PTSC to be installed in South
Africa collector aperture can be calculated by evaluating the product
Basic Parameters Value with unit of the direct beam irradiation (‫ܩ‬௕ ) and the outer aperture
Collector length 3000 mm (‫ܣ‬௔௢ ) of the collector.
ܳ௦ሶ ൌ  ‫ܣ‬௔௢ ‫ܩ  כ‬௕ (7)
Collector width 2500 mm
PTSC focal point 500 mm The absorber outer surface area can be computed by using
Mirror material Acrylic XT Mirror sheet 3 mm the absorber outer diameter and the length of the glass
Mirror reflectivity 93.5% evacuated tube. The same formula can be used to determine
Absorber material Copper pipe
the absorber inner area and in this case, the inner diameter of
the absorber will be used for computation.
Absorber internal diameter 23 mm
Absorber external diameter 25 mm ‫ܣ‬௔௢ ൌ  ߨ‫ܦ‬௔௢ ‫ܮ כ‬ (8)
Glass tube transmittance 0.89
Selective coating emittance 0.18 Where ‫ܣ‬௔௢ is the absorber total surface area, ‫ܦ‬௔௢ is the
absorber outer diameter and ‫ ܮ‬is the length of the evacuated
Selective coating absorptance 0.93
tube.
Based on the output of Equations 6 and 7, the solar
collector thermal efficiency can be calculated by computing
III. SIMPLIFIED GEOMETRIC AND THERMAL MODEL FOR A the ratio of the useful heat production and the available direct
PTSC solar beam irradiation, shown in Equation 9.

A. Mathematical modeling of PTSC geometry ொሶ

ߟ௧௛ ൌ ሶ ೎ (9)
The geometry of the PTSC plays a significant role in ொೞ
achieving optimum performance of the system; therefore,
careful attention was taken to ensure the geometry is perfect. The thermal efficiency of the solar collector is affected
The PTSC shape was determined by using Equation 1. due to thermal losses. These losses can be evaluated by using
௫మ Equation 10. The evaluation can be achieved by using the
‫ ݕ‬ൌ (1) mean absorber temperature (ܶ௔௢ ), thermal loss coefficient
ସ‫כ‬௙
(ܷ௅ ) and absorber outer surface area (‫ܣ‬௔௢ ), where ܶ௔௠ is the
The rim angle ߮௥ is evaluated by using the focal distance, ݂ ambient temperature.
and the aperture width (ܹ) as shown in Equation 2.
ܳሶ௟௢௦௦ ൌ  ‫ܣ‬௔௢ ‫ܷ כ‬௅ ‫ כ‬ሺܶ௔௢ െ ܶ௔௠ ሻ (10)

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Other thermal losses are from the absorber pipe to the glass • Dirt factor on the mirror
cover and these, essentially are the thermal radiation losses • Glass envelop inside diameter
from the absorber pipe to the glass cover. This observation • Glass envelop outside diameter
was reported by Bellos, Daniil and Tzivanidis [14]. • Glass envelope transmittance
ర ି் ర ቁ
గ‫כ‬ఙ‫כ‬஽ೌ೚ ‫כ‬ቀ்ೌ೚ ೒೔
• Heat transfer fluid flow rate
ܳሶ௟௢௦௦ ൌ  (11) • Inlet temperature
భ ሺభషഄೌ೚ ሻ‫כ‬ವೌ೚
൥ഄ ାቈ ቉൩ • Mirror reflectivity
ೌ೚ ഄ೒೔ ‫כ‬ವ೒೔
• Receiver inside diameter
Where ߪ is the Stefan-Boltzmann constant (equivalent to • Receiver outside diameter
ͷǤ͸͹ ‫ܹ ଼ିͲͳ כ‬Ȁ݉ଶ ‫ ܭ‬ସ ), ߝ௔௢ and ߝ௚௜ ǡ respectively, are the • Shadowing
absorber emittance and the cover emittance for the materials, • Solar incidence angle
‫ܦ‬௔௢ and ‫ܦ‬௚௜ , respectively, are the diameter of the absorber • Tracking error
outer and glass cover inner, ܶ௔௢ and ܶ௚௜ are the temperatures • Type of heat transfer fluid
of the absorber outer and the glass cover inner. • Wind speed
The parabolic trough solar collector will be installed on the
Due to the fact that it is an evacuated system and in a steady- rooftop of Building 2 of the Faculty of Engineering and the
state condition, the thermal loss from the glass cover to the Built Environment, Tshwane University of Technology,
ambient environment is the same as the thermal loss from the Staatsartillerie Road, 0183, Pretoria West Campus, Pretoria,
absorber to the glass cover. Therefore, the thermal losses South Africa, for easy access and data collection. The length
from the glass cover to the ambient environment can be and width of the collector, respectively, will be 300 and 250
evaluated by using Equation 12. This is possible due to the cm. The supporting frame is made of lightweight mild steel
fact that both convection and radiation thermal losses exist square tubing, while the collector is a flexible plastic mirror,
simultaneously [15]. supplied by Maizey Plastics, South Africa. Based on the
weather station data for Pretoria, South Africa, the average
ܳሶ௟௢௦௦ ൌ ൛‫ܣ‬௚௢ ‫݄ כ‬௢௨௧ ‫ כ‬൫ܶ௚௜ െ ܶ௔௠ ൯ൟ ൅ ൛‫ܣ‬௚௢ ‫ߝ כ ߪ כ‬௚௜ ‫כ‬ wind speed of 1.32 m/s, solar irradiation of 230 W/m2 and an
ambient temperature of 23 oC will be used. The mass flow rate
൫ܶ௚௜ସ െ ܶ௦௞௬
ସ
൯ൟ (12) of the heat transfer liquid will be 8.8 kg/s. After the
development of the prototype, the result of the modeling will
In order to evaluate the thermal heat loss, it is appropriate to be validated with the physical model and the existing research
make use of the calorimetric sky temperature concept as results.
discussed by Nowak [16]. This entity can be described as the
equivalent black-body temperature of the sky based on sky V. DESIGN ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION FOR PTSC
radiance covering the entire horizontal surface infrared Various design modifications have been reported in the
spectrum with the emissivity not dependent on the literature [19] [20]. The design focused on incorporating a
wavelength. For horizontal surfaces, the temperature of the polymeric cover that is connected to the control panel. Fig. 2
sky (Tsky) can be evaluated by using Swinbank’s formula as shows the design. The cover slides on both sides of the
shown in Equation 13 [17], while the heat transfer coefficient collector with the help of a DC motor. A rain sensor is attached
(݄௢௨௧ ) from the glass cover and the ambient environment can to the system and immediately rain droplets fall on the sensor,
be estimated by using Equation 14 [18]; where Vwind is the a signal is sent to the micro-controller to close the solar
wind speed. A representative value of the ݄௢௨௧ is concentrator. When the surface of the rain sensor is dry (that
approximately 10W/m2K, for a given wind speed of about is “no rainfall”), a different message is sent to the controller to
1m/s [15]. open the cover for the parabolic trough solar collector to return
and face the sun in order to continue the tracking of the sun,
ଵǤହ so long the tracking cycle for that particular day has not
ܶ௦௞௬ ൌ ͲǤͲͷͷ͵ ‫ܶ כ‬௔௠ (13) ceased. Based on the mechanical forces acting on the
଴Ǥହ଼
݄௢௨௧ ൌ Ͷ ‫ܸ כ‬௪௜௡ௗ ି଴Ǥସ଼
‫ܦ כ‬௚௢ (14) supporting frame as shown in Fig. 3, the weight of the solar
collector is uniformly distributed and can support the load.
VI. CONCLUSION
IV. CODE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
The paper presented a modified parabolic trough solar
During the validation process, code development and
collector with an intention of controlling the output
testing will require the following input parameters as
temperature and protecting the glass cover from damage
presented by Bellos and Tzivanidis [15].
during rainfall with hailstones. The design considered the
• Ambient temperature position of the focal line of the collector, therefore, the cover
• Annulus absolute pressure slider was placed at a position that is above the absorber pipe.
• Annulus pressure or vacuum Adequate clearance was ensured between the parabolic cover
and the receiver. After the final design and assemble, the
• Coating absorptance
prototype will be validated with existing data and design. The
• Coating emittance prototype will be installed at the rooftop of Building 2 of the
• Collector aperture area Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Tshwane
• Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) University of Technology, Staatsartillerie Road, 0183,
• Dirt factor on the glass envelope Pretoria West Campus, Pretoria, South Africa.

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Fig. 2. 3D model of the parabolic trough solar collector

Fig. 3. 3D visualization of mechanical forces acting on the assembly.

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