Evaluation and comparison of an adaptive method technique for improved performance of linear Fresnel secondary designs

Madeline Hack, Guangdong Zhu and Tim Wendelin

Applied Energy, 2017, vol. 208, issue C, No S0306261917312825, 1451 pages

Abstract: Asa line-focus concentrating solar power (CSP) technology, linear Fresnel collectors have the potential to become a low-cost solution for electricity production and a variety of thermal energy applications. However, this technology often suffers from relatively low performance. A secondary reflector is a key component used to improve optical performance of a linear Fresnel collector. The shape of a secondary reflector is particularly critical in determining solar power captured by the absorber tube(s), and thus, the collector’s optical performance. However, to the authors’ knowledge, no well-established process existed to derive the optimal secondary shape prior to the development of a new adaptive method to optimize the secondary reflector shape. The new adaptive method does not assume any pre-defined analytical form; rather, it constitutes an optimum shape through an adaptive process by maximizing the energy collection onto the absorber tube. In this paper, the adaptive method is compared with popular secondary-reflector designs with respect to a collector’s optical performance under various scenarios. For the first time, a comprehensive, in-depth comparison was conducted on all popular secondary designs for CSP applications. It is shown that the adaptive design exhibits the best optical performance.

Keywords: Concentrating solar power; Linear Fresnel collector; Secondary reflector; Solar optics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.09.009

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