The effect of the pitch angle, two-axis tracking system, and wind velocity on the parabolic trough solar collector thermal performance

Yunhong Shi, Davood Toghraie (), Farzad Nadi, Gholamreza Ahmadi, As’ad Alizadeh and Long Zhang
Additional contact information
Yunhong Shi: PowerChina Guizhou Electric Power Engineering Co., Ltd
Davood Toghraie: Islamic Azad University
Farzad Nadi: Islamic Azad University
Gholamreza Ahmadi: Islamic Azad University
As’ad Alizadeh: University of Zakho
Long Zhang: PowerChina Guizhou Electric Power Engineering Co., Ltd

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2021, vol. 23, issue 12, No 8, 17329-17348

Abstract: Abstract In this study, heat transfer and airfield around a parabolic trough solar collector are simulated. The effect of the pitch angle, two-axis tracking system, and wind speed on the collector thermal performance is evaluated. Three-dimensional and turbulent flow equations are used. Simulations are performed at noon, for the 45th day of summer, for the geographical location of Isfahan. The effects of wind velocities from V = 1 to 3 m/s are studied. The results of this study are investigated for a single-axis tracking system at pitch angles 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°, and for a two-axis tracking system for the angles of 45°–35°, 45°–25°, and 45°–15°, respectively. The results indicate that factors such as the change in the heat transfer coefficient, collector pitch angles, and amount of flow deviation between the upper and lower dome of the collector resulting in a distinction between the absorption of maximum radiation fluxes or the maximum heat transfer (heat loss) rate. Moreover, the higher the pitch angle, the higher the amount of received sunlight, but on the other hand, it causes the wind to affect all the collector surfaces (more heat loss). The drag force applied to the two-axis collector is lower than the one-axis collector. Therefore, using a two-axis system not only does not increase the structure size but also can decrease it, too.

Keywords: Heat transfer; Parabolic trough collector (PTC); Two-axis collector; Pitch angle; Thermal performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-021-01368-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:endesu:v:23:y:2021:i:12:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01368-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/10668

DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01368-2

Access Statistics for this article

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development is currently edited by Luc Hens

More articles in Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().