Comparative Analysis of Transient Thermodynamic Performance for the Parabolic-Trough Photothermal Conversion Technology
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 4
Abstract
The intermittent nature of solar energy poses a great challenge to the parabolic trough collector (PTC) technology. Although PTC technology is mature in application, its thermodynamic performance in transient processes is in need of a more comprehensive understanding. Here, a transient photothermo-hydraulic model of a parabolic-trough collector loop (600 m) was established with the finite volume method (FVM). A comprehensive comparative analysis for the transient photo-to-thermal characteristics (transient entropy generation and thermal-exergy efficiency) of PTC loop under a main weather disturbance [direct normal irradiance (DNI)], main control parameter (the mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid ), and geometry-dependent parameters (the collector width and the absorber tube diameter ) was carried out. The research shows that increasing DNI increases the entropy generation rate of each part of the absorber tube (up to 45.52%) and decreases the energy and exergy efficiency during the transient process, and vice versa. Transient entropy generation can be reduced by regulating the operating parameters (increase rapidly) and changing the geometric parameters ( or ) of PTC (up to 87.58%, 38.03%, and 32.92%, respectively). Moreover, the influencing mechanism of ( or ) on the transient entropy generation of the absorber tube is different from that in steady state. The transient thermodynamic response analysis is of great significance to the control and design optimization of PTC loop in the actual system.
Practical Applications
Thermodynamic analysis is very important for the performance optimization of parabolic trough collector (PTC) technology; entropy generation and exergy analysis can measure the irreversibility of the photothermo-hydraulic conversion process and can provide directions for its thermal performance breakthrough. Currently, the research on the thermodynamic performance of the PTC technology mostly adopts the overall steady-state analysis. However, simple steady-state analysis cannot reflect the full picture of the irreversibility of PTC in the process of photothermal conversion. For further analysis, more accurate transient response analysis is needed for the thermodynamic performance of PTC. The present study established a transient response analysis photothermo-thermodynamic model of PTC with finite volume method. The transient response of PTC thermodynamic parameters under different parameters was studied and analyzed. The thermodynamic performance influencing mechanism of PTC was analyzed. The thermodynamic performance comparison analysis information in the present study can guide the design optimization of collector and transient operational control of PTC loop in a more targeted manner. The present study is of great significance to the control and design optimization of PTC in actual system.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51776190 and 52206121) and the Key Science and Technology Research Project of Henan Province (Grant No. 222102320020).
References
Allouhi, A., M. Benzakour Amine, R. Saidur, T. Kousksou, and A. Jamil. 2018. “Energy and exergy analyses of a parabolic trough collector operated with nanofluids for medium and high temperature applications.” Energy Convers. Manage. 155 (Jan): 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.10.059.
Almasabi, A., A. Alobaidli, and T. J. Zhang. 2015. “Transient characterization of multiple parabolic trough collector loops in a 100 MW CSP plant for solar energy harvesting.” Energy Procedia 69: 24–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.004.
Babaelahi, M., E. Mofidipour, and E. Rafat. 2020. “Combined energy-exergy-control (CEEC) analysis and multi-objective optimization of parabolic trough solar collector powered steam power plant.” Energy 201 (Jun): 117641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117641.
Belghachi, A. 2015. “Theoretical calculation of the efficiency limit for solar cells.” In Solar cells—New approaches and reviews. Rijeka, Croatia: InTechOpen.
Bellos, E., C. Tzivanidis, and D. Tsimpoukis. 2018. “Thermal, hydraulic and exergetic evaluation of a parabolic trough collector operating with thermal oil and molten salt based nanofluids.” Energy Convers. Manage. 156 (Jan): 388–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.11.051.
Cruz, J. B., L. J. Y. Muñoz, S. D. Bencomo, and E. Z. Moya. 2013. Modeling and simulation of two-phase flow evaporators for parabolic-trough solar thermal power plants. Madrid, Spain: CIEMAT.
Desideri, A., R. Dickes, J. Bonilla, L. Valenzuela, S. Quoilin, and V. Lemort. 2018. “Steady-state and dynamic validation of a parabolic trough collector model using the ThermoCycle Modelica library.” Sol. Energy 174 (Nov): 866–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.08.026.
Dudley, V., G. Kolb, A. Mahoney, T. Mancini, C. Matthews, M. Sloan, and D. Kearney. 1994. Test results: SEGS LS-2 solar collector. Albuquerque, NM: Sandia National Laboratories.
Eskin, N. 1999. “Transient performance analysis of cylindrical parabolic concentrating collectors and comparison with experimental results.” Energy Convers. Manage. 40 (2): 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-8904(98)00035-1.
Euh, S. H., and D.-H. Kim. 2013. “Simulation and model validation of a parabolic trough solar collector for water heating.” J. Korean Sol. Energy Soc. 33 (3): 17–26. https://doi.org/10.7836/kses.2013.33.3.017.
Fasquelle, T., Q. Falcoz, P. Neveu, F. Lecat, and G. Flamant. 2017. “A thermal model to predict the dynamic performances of parabolic trough lines.” Energy 141 (Dec): 1187–1203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2017.09.063.
Feldhoff, J. F. 2015. Analysis of once-through boiler concepts in parabolic troughs. Aachen, Germany: Aachen Univ.
Fuqiang, W., Z. Xinping, D. Yan, Y. Hongliang, X. Shi, L. Yang, and C. Ziming. 2022. “Progress in radiative transfer in porous medium: A review from macro scale to pore scale with experimental test.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 210 (Mar): 118331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118331.
Giostri, A. 2014. Transient effects in linear concentrating solar thermal power plant. Milan, Italy: Politecnico di Milano.
Gong, L., Y. Zhang, and Z. Bai. 2021. “Geothermal-solar hybrid power with the double-pressure evaporation arrangement and the system off-design evaluation.” Energy Convers. Manage. 244 (Sep): 114501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2021.114501.
Goyal, R., and K. S. Reddy. 2022. “Numerical investigation of entropy generation in a solar parabolic trough collector using supercritical carbon dioxide as heat transfer fluid.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 208 (Feb): 118246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118246.
Hachicha, A. A., Z. Said, S. M. A. Rahman, and E. Al-Sarairah. 2020. “On the thermal and thermodynamic analysis of parabolic trough collector technology using industrial-grade MWCNT based nanofluid.” Renewable Energy 161 (Dec): 1303–1317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.07.096.
He, Y.-L., Y. Qiu, K. Wang, F. Yuan, W.-Q. Wang, M.-J. Li, and J.-Q. Guo. 2020. “Perspective of concentrating solar power.” Energy 198 (May): 117373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117373.
Hoffmann, A., B. Merk, T. Hirsch, and R. Pitz-Paal. 2014. “Simulation of thermal fluid dynamics in parabolic trough receiver tubes with direct steam generation using the computer code ATHLET.” Kerntechnik 79 (3): 175–186. https://doi.org/10.3139/124.110419.
Jiao, F., B. Lu, C. Chen, and Q. Liu. 2021. “Exergy transfer and degeneration in thermochemical cycle reactions for hydrogen production: Novel exergy- and energy level-based methods.” Energy 219 (Aug): 119531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.119531.
Jie, J., H. Chongwei, H. Wei, and P. Gang. 2009. “Dynamic performance of parabolic trough solar collector.” In Vol. I–V of Proc., ISES World Congress 2007, edited by D. Y. Goswami and Y. Zhao, 750–754. Berlin: Springer.
Kalogirou, S. A. 2012. “A detailed thermal model of a parabolic trough collector receiver.” Energy 48 (1): 298–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2012.06.023.
Kalogirou, S. A., S. Karellas, V. Badescu, and K. Braimakis. 2016. “Exergy analysis on solar thermal systems: A better understanding of their sustainability.” Renewable Energy 85 (Mar): 1328–1333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.05.037.
Krishna, Y., M. Faizal, R. Saidur, K. C. Ng, and N. Aslfattahi. 2020. “State-of-the-art heat transfer fluids for parabolic trough collector.” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 152 (May): 119541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.119541.
Leonard, B. P. 1990. “A stable and accurate convective modelling procedure based on quadratic upstream interpolation.” Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. 19 (May): 59–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/0045-7825(79)90034-3.
Lewis, N. S. 2016. “Research opportunities to advance solar energy utilization.” Science 351 (6271): 353. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad1920.
Li, L., J. Sun, and Y. Li. 2017. “Prospective fully-coupled multi-level analytical methodology for concentrated solar power plants: General modeling.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 118 (May): 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.02.086.
Li, L., J. Sun, Y. Li, Y.-L. He, and H. Xu. 2019. “Transient characteristics of a parabolic trough direct-steam-generation process.” Renewable Energy 135 (May): 800–810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.12.058.
Mohamed, A. M. I. 2003. “Numerical investigation of the dynamic performance of the parabolic trough solar collector using different working fluids.” Port-Said Eng. Res. J. 7 (1): 100–115.
Mohammed, H. A., H. B. Vuthaluru, and S. Liu. 2022. “Thermohydraulic and thermodynamics performance of hybrid nanofluids based parabolic trough solar collector equipped with wavy promoters.” Renewable Energy 182 (Jun): 401–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.09.096.
Moukalled, F., L. Mangani, and M. Darwish. 2015. The finite volume method in computational fluid dynamics: An advanced introduction with OpenFOAM and MATLAB. Berlin: Springer.
Mwesigye, A., Z. Huan, and J. P. Meyer. 2016. “Thermal performance and entropy generation analysis of a high concentration ratio parabolic trough solar collector with Cu-Therminol VP-1 nanofluid.” Energy Convers. Manage. 120 (Jul): 449–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2016.04.106.
Ndjanda Heugang, S. A., H. T. Tagne Kamdem, E. Tchoffo Houdji, and F. B. Pelap. 2020. “Transient energy and exergy analysis of parabolic trough solar collector with an application to Sahel climate.” Int. J. Sustainable Energy 40 (6): 557–583. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786451.2020.1828418.
Okonkwo, E. C., H. Adun, A. A. Babatunde, M. Abid, and T. A. H. Ratlamwala. 2020. “Entropy generation minimization in a parabolic trough collector operating with -water nanofluids using the genetic algorithm and artificial neural network.” J. Therm. Sci. Eng. Appl. 12 (3): 031007. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4044755.
Peng, H., M. Li, F. Hu, and S. Feng. 2021. “Performance analysis of absorber tube in parabolic trough solar collector inserted with semi-annular and fin shape metal foam hybrid structure.” Case Stud. Therm. Eng. 26 (Aug): 101112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2021.101112.
Qiu, Y., M.-J. Li, Y.-L. He, and W.-Q. Tao. 2017. “Thermal performance analysis of a parabolic trough solar collector using supercritical as heat transfer fluid under non-uniform solar flux.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 115 (Mar): 1255–1265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.09.044.
Qiu, Y., Y. Xu, Q. Li, J. Wang, Q. Wang, and B. Liu. 2021. “Efficiency enhancement of a solar trough collector by combining solar and hot mirrors.” Appl. Energy 299 (Oct): 117290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117290.
Salgado Conrado, L., A. Rodriguez-Pulido, and G. Calderón. 2017. “Thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors.” Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 67 (Jan): 1345–1359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.071.
Serrano-Lopez, R., J. Fradera, and S. Cuesta-Lopez. 2013. “Molten salts database for energy applications.” Chem. Eng. Process. Process Intensif. 73 (Mar): 87–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2013.07.008.
Suwa, T., and S. Heng. 2016. “Transient thermal performance prediction method for parabolic trough solar collector under fluctuating solar radiation.” Jurnal Teknologi 78 (5–9): 47–52. https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v78.8786.
US DOE. 2023. “Weather data.” Accessed March 31, 2023. https://energyplus.net/weather.
Wang, C., M. Liu, Y. Zhao, Y. Qiao, and J. Yan. 2018. “Entropy generation analysis on a heat exchanger with different design and operation factors during transient processes.” Energy 158 (Sep): 330–342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.06.016.
Wang, G., C. Wang, and Z. Chen. 2021. “Exergy analysis of photo-thermal interaction process between solar radiation energy and solar receiver.” J. Therm. Sci. 30 (5): 1541–1547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-021-1433-4.
Xiao, G., J. Zeng, and J. Nie. 2021. “A practical method to evaluate the thermal efficiency of solar molten salt receivers.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 190 (Apr): 116787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2021.116787.
Xu, H., Y. Li, J. Sun, and L. Li. 2019a. “Transient model and characteristics of parabolic-trough solar collectors: Molten salt vs. synthetic oil.” Sol. Energy 182 (Apr): 182–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.02.047.
Xu, L., F. H. Sun, L. R. Ma, X. L. Li, D. Q. Lei, G. F. Yuan, H. B. Zhu, Q. Q. Zhang, E. S. Xu, and Z. F. Wang. 2019b. “Analysis of optical and thermal factors’ effects on the transient performance of parabolic trough solar collectors.” Sol. Energy 179 (Feb): 195–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.12.070.
Yang, Y., J. Wu, and H. Hou. 2016. “Thermal-structure coupling transient performance analysis of parabolic trough solar collector.” Acta Energiae Solaris Sin. 37 (12): 3132–3136.
Zhang, K., M. Liu, Y. Zhao, C. Wang, and J. Yan. 2020. “Entropy generation versus transition time of heat exchanger during transient processes.” Energy 200 (Jun): 117490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117490.
Zhang, S., M. Liu, Y. Zhao, J. Liu, and J. Yan. 2021. “Dynamic simulation and performance analysis of a parabolic trough concentrated solar power plant using molten salt during the start-up process.” Renewable Energy 179 (Dec): 1458–1471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.07.127.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 9, 2022
Accepted: Feb 23, 2023
Published online: May 29, 2023
Published in print: Aug 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Oct 29, 2023
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.