Study of Twisted Tape Inserts Segmental Application in Low-Concentrated Solar Parabolic Trough Collectors

Bartosz Stanek, Jakub Ochmann, Daniel Węcel and Łukasz Bartela ()
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Bartosz Stanek: Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Jakub Ochmann: Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Daniel Węcel: Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Łukasz Bartela: Department of Power Engineering and Turbomachinery, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 9, 1-28

Abstract: This article presents the results of an analysis of heat enhancement intensification using twisted tapes in linear absorbers for low-concentration parabolic trough collectors, a technology frequently considered as a supplementary energy source for industrial heat production. This contribution proposes a segmented application of different twisted tapes to intensify heat absorption. A 33.7 mm tubular absorber placed in the collector focal point with an aperture of 1.8 m was selected. The temperature range of the heat transfer fluid was chosen at 60–250 °C. The impact of inserts with twisted ratios of 1, 2 and 4 on system operation was analysed using the Ansys Fluent and mathematical model. The models used were validated based on experimental results from a parabolic trough collector with solar simulator test bench. The results indicated that for the range of mass flow between 0.15–0.3 kg/s, the most optimal is applying twisted ratio 1, except for the highest-temperature section. In this section, it is more optimal to use an insert with a twisted ratio 2, due to the lower need for pumping and the higher efficiency increment. The long-term analysis for the case study plant indicated that the proposed approach increased power gain by 0.27%.

Keywords: twisted tape; parabolic trough collectors; industrial heat; heat enhancement; numerical analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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