Exergetic Optimization and Optimum Operation of a Solar Dish Collector with a Cylindrical Receiver
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 4
Abstract
An exergy and energy analysis on a solar parabolic dish collector (PDC) is carried out. In the experimental conditions the destructed exergy due to solar energy absorption by receiver and heat losses from the receiver end up being approximately 60% waste of total exergy in some cases. The maximum exergy efficiency in the experiments is less than 10%. An objective function for maximizing the exergy efficiency is developed mainly based on heat transfer fluid (HTF) inlet temperature and mass flow rate. Optimization results indicate that the HTF outlet temperature as design parameter can be specified based on the given system application. At optimum values of operating parameters, the maximum destructed exergy due to solar absorption and heat losses from the receiver are less than 45 and 15%, respectively. A parametric study based on the developed objective function shows that exergy efficiency greater than 20% is attainable. In this condition an optimum HTF inlet temperature to the receiver is found to be approximately 310 K. The intensity of solar irradiation has significant effect on the optimum HTF mass flow rate. To achieve the maximum exergy efficiency, depending on solar intensity, the optimum HTF mass flow rate must be selected from optimization results.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Abib, A. H., and Jaluria, Y. (1995). “Penetrative convection in a stably stratified enclosure.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 38(13), 2489–2500.
Angirasa, D., Pourquie, M., and Nieuwstadt, F. (1992). “Numerical study of transient and steady laminar buoyancy-driven flows and heat transfer in a square open cavity.” Numer. Heat Transfer, 22(2), 223–239.
Badescu, V. (1999). “Simple upper bound efficiencies for endoreversible conversion of thermal radiation.” J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn., 24(2), 196–202.
Badescu, V. (2007). “Optimal control of flow in solar collectors for maximum exergy extraction.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 50(21–22), 4311–4322.
Badescu, V. (2013). “Lost available work and entropy generation: Heat versus radiation reservoirs.” J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn., 38(4), 313–333.
Badescu, V. (2014a). “How much work can be extracted from a radiation reservoir?” Physica A, 410(1), 110–119.
Badescu, V. (2014b). “Is Carnot efficiency the upper bound for work extraction from thermal reservoirs?” EPL, 106(1), 18006.
Badescu, V. (2015). “Maximum reversible work extraction from a blackbody radiation reservoir. A way to closing the old controversy.” Europhys. Lett., 109(4), 40008.
Bejan, A. (1982). “Extraction of exergy from solar collectors under time-varying conditions.” Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow, 3(2), 67–72.
Bejan, A., Kearney, D., and Kreith, F. (1981). “Second law analysis and synthesis of solar collector systems.” J. Solar Energy Eng., 103(1), 23–28.
Bejan, A., and Moran, M. J. (1996). Thermal design and optimization, Wiley, New York.
Chan, Y., and Tien, C. (1985a). “A numerical study of two-dimensional laminar natural convection in shallow open cavities.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 28(3), 603–612.
Chan, Y., and Tien, C. (1985b). “A numerical study of two-dimensional natural convection in square open cavities.” Numer. Heat Transfer, 8(1), 65–80.
Duffie, J. A., and Beckman, W. A. (2013). Solar engineering of thermal processes, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
Feistel, R. (2011). “Entropy flux and entropy production of stationary black-body radiation.” J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn., 36(2), 131–139.
Hinojosa, J., Alvarez, G., and Estrada, C. (2006). “Three-dimensional numerical simulation of the natural convection in an open tilted cubic cavity.” Revista Mexicana De Física, 52(2), 111–119.
Hinojosa, J., and Cervantes-de Gortari, J. (2010). “Numerical simulation of steady-state and transient natural convection in an isothermal open cubic cavity.” Heat Mass Transfer, 46(6), 595–606.
Humphrey, J. A. C., and To, W. M. (1986). “Numerical simulation of buoyant, turbulent flow—II. Free and mixed convection in a heated cavity.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 29(4), 593–610.
Jilte, R., Kedare, S., and Nayak, J. (2013). “Natural convection and radiation heat loss from open cavities of different shapes and sizes used with dish concentrator.” Mech. Eng. Res., 3(1), 25–43.
Kahrobaian, A., and Malekmohammadi, H. (2008). “Exergy optimization applied to linear parabolic solar collectors.” J. Faculty Eng., 42(1), 131–144.
Kar, A. (1989). “Exergy optimization of flow rates in flat-plate solar collectors.” Int. J. Energy Res., 13(3), 317–326.
Kar, A. K. (1985). “Exergy efficiency and optimum operation of solar collectors.” Appl. Energy, 21(4), 301–314.
Kaushik, S., Singhal, M., and Tyagi, S. (2001). “Solar collector technologies for power generation and space air conditioning applications: A state of the art.”, Centre for Energy Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India.
Kovarik, M., and Lesse, P. (1976). “Optimal control of flow in low temperature solar heat collector.” Solar Energy, 18(5), 431–435.
Kurtbas, I., and Durmus, A. (2004). “Efficiency and exergy analysis of a new solar air heater.” Renewable Energy, 29(9), 1489–1501.
MATLAB [Computer software]. MathWorks, Natick, MA.
Mohamad, A., El-Ganaoui, M., and Bennacer, R. (2009). “Lattice Boltzmann simulation of natural convection in an open ended cavity.” Int. J. Thermal Sci., 48(10), 1870–1875.
Orbach, A., Fischl, R., Herczfeld, P., and Konyk, S., Jr. (1979). “Optimal and sub-optimal control strategies and sensitivity study for solar liquid collector systems.” Sun II: Proc., Silver Jubilee Congress, Vol. 2, Pergamon Press, Elmsford, NY, 1421–1425.
Padilla, R. V., Fontalvo, A., Demirkaya, G., Martinez, A., and Quiroga, A. G. (2014). “Exergy analysis of parabolic trough solar receiver.” Appl. Therm. Eng., 67(1), 579–586.
Paitoonsurikarn, S., and Lovegrove, K. (2006). “A new correlation for predicting the free convection loss from solar dish concentrating receivers.” Proc., 44th Solar 2006: Clean Energy, ANZSES '06, Canberra, Australia.
Penot, F. (1982). “Numerical calculation of two-dimensional natural convection in isothermal open cavities.” Numer. Heat Transfer Part A Appl., 5(4), 421–437.
Petela, R. (1964). “Exergy of heat radiation.” J. Heat Transfer, 86(2), 187–192.
Press, W. H. (1976). “Theoretical maximum for energy from direct and diffuse sunlight.” Nature, 264(5588), 734–735.
Saha, G., Saha, S., and Mamun, M. A. H. (2007). “A finite element method for steady-state natural convection in a square tilt open cavity.” ARPN J. Eng. Appl. Sci., 2(2), 41–49.
Sezai, I., and Mohamad, A. (1998). “Three-dimensional simulation of natural convection in cavities with side opening.” Int. J. Numer. Methods Heat Fluid Flow, 8(7), 800–813.
Showole, R., and Tarasuk, J. (1993). “Experimental and numerical studies of natural convection with flow separation in upward-facing inclined open cavities.” J. Heat Transfer, 115(3), 592–605.
Suzuki, A. (1988). “General theory of exergy-balance analysis and application to solar collectors.” Energy, 13(2), 153–160.
Suzuki, A., Okamura, H., and Oshida, I. (1987). “Application of exergy concept to the analysis of optimum operating conditions of solar heat collectors.” J. Solar Energy Eng., 109(4), 337–342.
Torres-Reyes, E., Navarrete-Gonzalez, J., Zaleta-Aguilar, A., and Cervantes-de Gortari, J. (2003). “Optimal process of solar to thermal energy conversion and design of irreversible flat-plate solar collectors.” Energy, 28(2), 99–113.
Tyagi, S., Wang, S., Singhal, M., Kaushik, S., and Park, S. (2007). “Exergy analysis and parametric study of concentrating type solar collectors.” Int. J. Therm. Sci., 46(12), 1304–1310.
Winn, R., and Winn, C. (1981). “Optimal control of mass flow rates in flat plate solar collectors.” J. Solar Energy Eng., 103(2), 113–120.
Wu, S.-Y., Xiao, L., Cao, Y., and Li, Y.-R. (2010a). “A parabolic dish/AMTEC solar thermal power system and its performance evaluation.” Appl. Energy, 87(2), 452–462.
Wu, S.-Y., Xiao, L., Cao, Y., and Li, Y.-R. (2010b). “Convection heat loss from cavity receiver in parabolic dish solar thermal power system: A review.” Solar Energy, 84(8), 1342–1355.
Wu, Y., and Wen, L. (1978). “Solar receiver performance of point focusing collector system.” American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Winter Annual Meeting, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC, 10.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 4 • December 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 13, 2015
Accepted: Aug 28, 2015
Published online: Dec 7, 2015
Discussion open until: May 7, 2016
Published in print: Dec 1, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.