Modeling, Construction, and Experimentation of a Compound Parabolic Concentrator with a Concentric Tube as the Absorber
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 3
Abstract
Compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) are technologies that allow heat exchange between solar radiation and a fluid. Incorporation of a concentric tube receiver has been proposed as a means of improving the performance of CPCs. Such geometry has been used to improve the processes of heat transfer in refrigeration tubes. Here, the authors report mathematical modeling, simulation, design, and construction of four CPCs with concentric tube receivers, as well as experimental study. The study begins with the proposal of a mathematical model based on heat transfer equations, as reported in the literature. Subsequently, the authors designed and built a test bank consisting of four CPCs. The test bank can be operated with the four CPCs, working as either a serial or parallel flow. Based on experimental results, it was possible to obtain the characteristic curves of the solar collector operating in both modes. After validating the mathematical model with the experimental results, a correlation to adjust the simulator removal factor of the CPCs with concentric tubes was added. This setting improved the simulator results by 68%. Once validated, the simulator was used to compare the performance of a concentric tube and a simple receiver tube. The results show that the concentric receiver tube outperforms the simple receiver tube.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support received from CONACYT through the Mexican Center for Innovation in Solar Energy (CEMIE-Sol), in the framework of the Call 2013-02, of the CONACYT-SENER-SUSTAINABLE ENERGY found within the project strategic P09 and the “Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente.”
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 3 • June 2017
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 27, 2016
Accepted: Aug 26, 2016
Published online: Oct 21, 2016
Discussion open until: Mar 21, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
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