Chapter 1 To 5

Acknowledgement
The successful completion of any task would be incomplete without acknowledging the
people who made it possible and whose constant guidance and encouragement secured
the success.
First of all I wish to acknowledge the benevolence of omnipotent God gave me strength
and courage to overcome all obstacles and showed me the silver lining in the dark clouds.
With the profound sense of gratitude and heartiest regard, I express my sincere feeling of
indebtedness to my guide Dr. N.S. THAKUR, professor, CEEE, NIT Hamirpur for his
positive attitude, generous attitude and above all his blessings. He has been a source of
inspiration for me. He has played an important role by helping and guiding in all the
aspects ranging from the research area to the other general discussions which helped me a
lot to define my problem more concretely and also develop a better positive outlook
towards approaching the problem.
I am grateful to Dr. S.S. KATCOH, professor & head, CEEE, Dr. S.S. CHANDEL,
professor and Dr. MAMTA AWASTI, Assistant professor, CEEE, NIT Hamirpur,
himachal Pradesh for providing me an opportunity to do my project work on the topic of
my interest and providing the facilities for the completion of the work.
Last but not the least I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my parents and my
friends especially RITU PARN SINGH SOMVANSHI who with their thought
provoking views, veracity and whole hearted co-operation helped me in doing this thesis.
SOHANPAL BANSAL
14M708
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY
HAMIRPUR HP 177005 INDIA
CANDIDATES DECLARATION
I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the thesis entitled Design,
fabrication and performance analysis of close type parabolic trough collector in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of Master of Technology
and submitted in the Center for Energy and Environmental Engineering, National Institute
of Technology, Hamirpur, is an authentic record of my own work carried out during the
period from July 2015 to July 2016 under the supervision of Dr. N.S. THAKUR,
Professor, Center for Energy and Environmental Engineering, National Institute of
Technology, Hamirpur.
The matter presented in this thesis has not been submitted by me for the award of any
other degree of this or any other institute/University.
(Sohanpal bansal)
This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of
my knowledge.
(Dr. N.S. Thakur)
Professor,
CEEE, NIT Hamirpur
Date:
The M.Tech Viva-Voce Examination of Sohanpal bansal has been held on......................
(Signature of Supervisor)
(Signature of External Examiner)
II
Table of content
Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................I
Table of content ................................................................................................................. III
Table of Figures .................................................................................................................. V
List of Tables ................................................................................................................... VII
Chapter 1 .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
1.1
Basics of Solar Thermal Collection / Concentrating Solar Power .................. 2
1.2
Solar Energy in India............................................................................................. 3
1.3
Solar spectrum and solar radiation ........................................................................ 3
1.3.1
Solar Spectrum ............................................................................................... 3
1.3.2
Direct and Diffuse solar radiation .................................................................. 4
1.4
Parabolic Trough Collector ................................................................................... 4
1.5
Geometry of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector .................................................... 7
1.6
Optical Performance for PTSC ............................................................................. 9
1.6.1
Incidence Angle Modifier .............................................................................. 9
1.6.2
End Effect Correction .................................................................................... 9
1.6.3
Optical Efficiency of the PTSC ................................................................... 10
1.7
Thermal Performance and Losses of PTSC ........................................................ 11
1.7.1
Overall Heat Loss Coefficient (UL) ............................................................ 11
1.7.2
Heat Transfer to Fluid .................................................................................. 12
1.7.3
Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient and Factors ............................................ 13
1.7.4
Thermal Efficiency of a PTSC ..................................................................... 14
1.8
Aim of the Work ................................................................................................. 15
Chapter-2............................................................................................................................ 17
2
Literature Review .................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................ 26
3
Material and method .................................................................................................. 26

3.1
Important considerations for designing a parabolic trough ......................... 26
3.1.1
Collector aperture......................................................................................... 26
III
3.1.2
Rim angle .................................................................................................... 26
3.1.3
Receiver diameter ........................................................................................ 27
3.1.4
Reflector support structures..................................................................... 27
3.1.5
Structural design requirements ............................................................... 28
3.1.6
Wind load on reflector support structure ..................................................... 28
3.2
Material study ..................................................................................................... 29
3.2.1
Mirror materials ........................................................................................... 30
3.2.2
Glass cover .................................................................................................. 30
3.3
Design of parabolic reflector .............................................................................. 30
3.4
Drawing of PTC .................................................................................................. 32
3.5
System design ..................................................................................................... 33
3.5.1
Parabolic reflector ....................................................................................... 33
3.5.2
Focal point fixing ........................................................................................ 34
3.5.3
Receiver ....................................................................................................... 34
3.6
Fabrication .......................................................................................................... 35
3.6.1
Supporting structure .................................................................................... 35
3.6.2
Parabolic trough support structure .............................................................. 36
3.7
Design analysis ................................................................................................... 37
3.8
Thermal analysis ................................................................................................. 38
Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................................... 40
1.
Results and discussions ............................................................................................. 40

4.1
Problem formulation ........................................................................................... 40
4.2
Experimental Procedure...................................................................................... 40
4.3
Experimental results ........................................................................................... 41
4.3.1
Receiver pipe diameter 19.05mm with 200ml/min ..................................... 41
4.3.2
4.3.3
4.3.4
Receiver pipe diameter 25.4mm with 200ml/min ....................................... 44
4.3.5
4.3.6
4.3.7

IV
4.3.8
Receiver pipe diameter 31.75mm with 400ml/min...................................... 48
4.3.9
Receiver pipe diameter 31.75mm with 600ml/min...................................... 50
4.4
Variation of efficiency with time ...................................................................... 51
4.4.1
Varying diameters of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.200 kg/min ....... 51
4.4.2
Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.400 kg/min ......... 51
4.4.3
Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.600 kg/min ......... 52
4.4.4
Varying mass flow rate of water when receiver tube diameter is 19.05mm 53
4.4.5
Varying mass flow rate of water when receiver tube diameter is 25.4mm.. 53
4.4.6
Varying mass flow rate of water when receiver tube diameter is 31.75mm 54
Chapter 5 ............................................................................................................................ 56
5. Conclusions and Future Scope ....................................................................................... 56
5.1 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 56
5.2 Future scope ............................................................................................................. 57
References .......................................................................................................................... 59
Table of Figures
Figure 1:1: Schematic diagrams of the three CSP systems (Tower, Dish, and Trough) .... 2
Figure 1:2: Parabolic Trough Collector system ................................................................... 4
Figure 1:3: Design specification of a reflector .................................................................... 5
Figure 1:4: Absorber tube .................................................................................................... 6
Figure 1:5: Subsystems of Parabolic trough collector system ............................................. 6
Figure 1:6: Cross-sectional view of PTSC........................................................................... 7
Figure 1:7: End losses from the receiver tube ................................................................... 10
Figure 3:1: parabolic curve for collector ........................................................................... 31
Figure 3:2: 3D drawing of PTC in CATIA ........................................................................ 32
Figure 3:3: Parabolic trough collector ............................................................................... 37
Figure 3:4 Descriptions of optical errors in PTCs ............................................................. 38
Figure 4:1: Graph of Time vs. Temp. & Efficiency .......................................................... 42
Figure 4:2: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time.................................................................. 42
Figure 4:4: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time.................................................................. 43
V
Figure 4:6: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time ................................................................. 44

Figure 4:8: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time ................................................................. 45
Figure 4:10: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time ............................................................... 46
Figure 4:11: Graph of Time vs. Temp. & Efficiency ........................................................ 47
Figure 4:19: Efficiency VS time graph for mass flow rate 0.2 kg/min ............................. 51
Figure 4:22: Efficiency VS time graph for receiver diameter is 19.05mm ....................... 53
Figure 4:23: Efficiency VS time graph for receiver diameter is 25.4mm ......................... 54
Figure 4:24: Efficiency VS time graph for receiver diameter is 31.75mm ....................... 55
VI
List of Tables
Table 3.1: Material selection summary.............................................................................. 30
Table 3.2 dimensions of the collector ............................................................................. 31
Table 3.3: Dimension of structure components of PTC .................................................... 35
Table 3.4: Dimension of parabolic trough support structure component .......................... 36
VII
Chapter 1
1. Introduction
The overall prerequisite of energy is persistently expanding Furthermore makes it
ineluctable on make the utilization of unpredictable assets. The sun will be a standout
amongst the generous energy sources that need the possibility will satisfy this climbing
energy has. Sun may be boundless Furthermore cleaner hotspot about energy. Solar
thermal technology is inexorable clinched alongside development of the group keeping
and also the country. Also, it will be paramount of the country and of the earth. Sun is a
gigantic pool of clean energy also this clean force achieves earth in the manifestation of
its beams is known as solar energy. solar energy may be an abundant sourball from
claiming energy Also will be accessible clinched alongside a lot. Transformation of these
approaching sun oriented radiations might make done specifically or by implication
clinched alongside different helpful manifestations of energy concerning illustration high
temperature Also power which might a chance to be used further Likewise for every those
prerequisite of the humankind. That sun is giving a staggering supply about solar energy
In excess of 4 billion quite some time. Sun powered energy might have been utilized by
the ancient administration individuals to warm their homes also dry apparel yet their
employments were most primitive. Intense increment On worldwide oil prices, broad
utilization about fossil fuels, debilitating climb On contamination Furthermore nursery
impact bring headed an expansive amount of nations around those globe should do broad
research in this zone.
1.1 Basics of Solar Thermal Collection / Concentrating

Solar Power
The basic principle of solar thermal collection is that when solar radiation is
incident on a surface (such as that of a black body) part of this radiation is absorbed,
thus increasing the temperature of the surface. As the temperature of the body increases,
the surface loses heat at an increasing rate to the surroundings. Steady state is reached
when the rate of the solar heat gain is balanced by the rate of heat loss to the ambient
surroundings [3]. Solar concentrators increase the amount of incident energy on the
absorber surface as compared to that on the concentrator aperture. The increase is
achieved by the use of reflecting surfaces or other optical means, which concentrate the
incident radiation onto a suitable absorber / receiver. Therefore, a solar concentrator
generally consists of (i) a focusing device, (ii) an absorber / receiver provided with or
without a transparent cover, and (iii) a tracking device for continuously following the sun.
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technologies are usually categorized in three different
concepts, as shown in figure (1-1). They work as follows [4]:
Figure 1:1: Schematic diagrams of the three CSP systems (Tower, Dish, and Trough)
Troughs: parabolic trough shaped mirror reflectors linearly concentrate sunlight onto
receiver tubes, heating a thermal transfer fluid which is then used to produce superheated
steam.
Dishes: parabolic dish shaped reflectors perfectly concentrate sunlight in two

dimensions and run a small engine or turbine at the focal point.
Towers: central receivers use numerous heliostats to concentrate sunlight onto a

central receiver on the top of a tower.
The solar flux concentration ratio typically obtained is at the level of 30 100, 100
1000, and 1000 10000 for trough, tower and dish systems, respectively [5].
1.2 Solar Energy in India

India is blessed with a huge potential of solar power. India receives an estimated
hourly radiation of 200 MW/km2 with approximately 300 sunny days per year. The
theoretical reception of solar power on the land area is about 5 trillion KWh/yr. At present
India is having about 3 GW of installed capacity which is just over 1% of the total
installed capacity and about 0.5% of the estimated potential. As estimated by the National
Institute of solar energy the current potential of solar energy in India is about 750 GW1.
The estimates suggest that Rajasthan and Jammu Kashmir have the highest potential in
this regard. Thar Desert in Rajasthan has massive potential of about 142GW of solar
power1. Currently Gujarat is the leading state when it comes to installed solar power and
has installed capacity of about 900 MW and is also developing utility-scale power project
over various canals and rooftops throughout the state. Indian government is expanding its
wings to become one of the largest producers of solar power in the world and plans to
install 100 GW by the end of 2022 which includes about 20 GW of ultra-mega solar
power projects across 12 different states
1.3 Solar spectrum and solar radiation

Suns radiation is in the form of electromagnetic radiation which is categorized
further into infrared radiation, ultra violet radiation and white light.
1.3.1
Solar Spectrum
Suns radiation is a combination of different layers which absorb and emit

radiations that differ in wavelengths. Harmful portion of these wavelengths i.e. is the
Gamma and X-rays are filtered out by the atmosphere. About 48% of the suns radiation
falls in visible region, whereas about 45.6% is in the infrared region [2] and the rest is in
ultraviolet spectrum. The solar spectrum is shown in the figure 1.1 [2].
1.3.2 Direct and Diffuse solar radiation

The solar energy that reaches the earth is further categorized in the form of direct
and diffuse radiations.
Diffuse: As the white light passes through the suns atmosphere it gets scattered, reflected
and absorbed by various elements such as the clouds, pollutants, dust, air molecules etc.
This radiation is known as diffuse radiation.
.Direct:
The portion of the sunlight which does not diffused and reaches the earth is
known as direct radiation or Beam radiation. On a clear, dry sunny day the atmosphere
can block up to 10% of beam radiation whereas this can reach up to 100% on very thick
cloudy day. The solar flux registered per sec by a surface having unit area and kept
perpendicular to the sun rays is known as Solar constant (Isc) which is a constant
throughout the year. The Solar constant is having a value of 1367W/m2 [2].
1.4 Parabolic Trough Collector

A parabolic trough collector system consists of a reflecting surface which resembles
a parabolic shape. This reflecting surface is mostly made of reflecting mirrors or anodized
aluminum sheets.
Figure 1:2: Parabolic Trough Collector system
The solar radiations falling on the reflecting surface is concentrated on the focal
line of the parabola where a receiver tube carrying the heat transfer fluid is placed.
Absorber tube either painted black or electroplated with nickel or chromium in order to
increase the absorptivity of the tube. The heat transfer fluid picks up the heat Figure1.6:
Parabolic Trough Collector system from the absorber tube which is utilized later in the
desired way. The temperature in this type of system can reach as high as 4000c,
depending upon the type of reflecting surface, absorber tube materials and heat transfer
fluid. A parabolic trough collector system must be positioned in agreement with the suns
position so that it can reflect the incoming beam radiations to the absorber tube.
Concentrating ratio is an important term when talking about concentrating collectors. It is
defined as the ratio of the area aperture area of collector and absorber tubes area. Its
value ranges from 20 to 70. Increase in concentration ratio corresponds to higher working
temperatures. Various components of the system are shown in the figure 1.6 [25]. Design
specifications are shown in figure some of the chief components of the system are:
Figure 1:3: Design specification of a reflector

Reflector: The purpose of the reflector is to reflect and concentrate the incoming direct
radiation to the focal line. This is generally made from a material of very high reflectivity
such as polished mirrors, anodized aluminum etc. The reflectivity is as high as 90%.
Absorber tube: It acts as receiver and transporter of the energy which is being
concentrated at focal line of the reflecting surface. It is made of good absorbing materials
such as copper and is coated with black paint or other metal for increased absorptivity. It
5
carries the heat transfer fluid to which the energy is transferred. Figure1.8[12] shows a
type of absorber tube.
Figure 1:4: Absorber tube

Glass cover tube: Absorber tube may contain a glass envelope which can evacuated on
non-evacuated. The impetus of this tube is minimizing the various heat losses due to
convection, conduction and radiation. Evacuated tubes are more efficient in minimizing
these losses but are difficult to fabricate.
Support structure: It is a mechanical frame which gives the required support to sustain
the weight and provide robustness against wind loads.
Figure 1:5: Subsystems of Parabolic trough collector system
Tracking mechanism: The function of this device is to keep the collector in agreement
with the position of the sun so as to keep it in focus as the soon moves from east to west.
Various subsystem of the parabolic trough collector system is shown in figure1.9 [25]
Advantages:
System has high conversion efficiency.
It can be used for power generation and steam generation.
It can be used for community cooking purposes.
Temperatures as high as 4000C are achievable.
It can also be utilized for thermal energy storage.
1.5 Geometry of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector

Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTSC), which is also called cylindrical parabolic
collector, employs linear imaging concentration. These collectors comprise of a
cylindrical concentrator of parabolic cross sectional shape, and a circular cylindrical
receiver located along the focal line of the parabola. A section of a PTSC is shown in
figure (1- 9).
Figure 1:6: Cross-sectional view of PTSC

Basically, it consists of (i) a parabolic reflector of about 1-6 m aperture width, (ii)
an absorber (receiver) tube made of steel or copper with diameter 1.5-5 cm and coated
with selective coating, and (iii) a concentric tubular glass cover surrounding receiver with
a gap of about 1- 2 cm which is evacuated [22].
7
The cylindrical parabolic reflector focuses all the incident sunlight onto a metallic
tubular or flat receiver placed along its length in the focal plane. The heat transfer fluid is
allowed to flow through the receiver. The parabolic reflector is defined by its aperture
diameter (W), rim angle (r), and receiver shape and size.
The radius of parabola at an arbitrary location is defined by r, and is called the
"mirror radius". The maximum mirror radius occurs at its outer rim and is fittingly called
"rim radius" or parabolic radius. The rim angle, r, corresponds to beam radiation
reflected from the outer rim of the concentrator. The focal length, f, is related to rim
angle, and aperture width, W, as [23].

w 4 f tan r
2
(1-17)
The size of a reflected solar image at the focal point depends upon the mirror radius at the
point of incident of the beam radiation. A simple equation for the image width Wim was
developed by Jeter [24].
W im= rs
(1-18)
Where s represents the angular width of the incident beam radiation of 0.53o (0.00925
rad), acceptance half angle a of 0.267o, and the reflected beam path length is equal to
the parabolic radius, r. So, for near normal incidence, occurring more frequently in the
summer months, equation (1-18) can be rewritten as:
W im = 0.00925r
(1-19)
The geometric concentration ratio is given as [22]:

C
Effective aperature area W Dr ,o L
Receiver tube area

Dr ,o L
(1-20)
The concentration ratio (C) is related to r can also be defined as [22]

C
Sin r
Sin a
(1-21)
The size of the receiver to intercept the entire solar image can be calculated. The diameter
Dr of a cylindrical receiver is [17].
8
Dr 2rSin a
WSin0.267
Sin r
(1-22)
For a flat receiver in the focal plane of the parabola the width Wf is [17]:
Wf
2rSin a
WSin0.267
Cos ( r 0.267) Sin r Cos ( r 0.267)
(1-23)
1.6 Optical Performance for PTSC

The optical analysis of solar collectors with parabolic reflector must take into
account many different effects, such as optical properties of materials, relative size of
receiver and concentrator and the type of tracking and corresponding losses.
1.6.1 Incidence Angle Modifier

In addition to losses due to the angle of incidence, there are other losses from the
collector that can be correlated to the angle of incidence. The effects of errors in the
concentrating collector, tracking errors, and errors in displacement of receiver from the
focus all lead to enlarged or shifted images and affect the intercept factor. These errors
can be accounted for by using incidence angle modifier K(i) is given as an empirical fit
to experimental data for a given collector type. The incidence angle modifier for the LS-3
collector is [24,25].
K (i ) Cosi 0.000884(i ) 0.00005369(i ) 2
(1-24)
Where i, (the incidence angle) is provided in degrees.
1.6.2 End Effect Correction

End losses occur at the ends of the receiver where, for a nonzero incidence angle,
some length of receiver tube is not illuminated by solar radiation reflected from the
mirrors. Figure (1-10) depicts the occurrence of end losses for an absorber with a nonzero
angle of incidence [26]. These end effects are typically insignificant for long collector
strings, so, in this study for shorter strings, the end losses may be negligible because of
the two - axis solar tracking system is used.
Figure 1:7: End losses from the receiver tube

The end losses XEND are a function of the focal length of the collector, the length of the
collector L, and the incidence angle given by [25].
X END 1
f
tan i
L
(1.25)
Therefore, two-axis solar tracking is used to eliminate the end losses in our work.
1.6.3 Optical Efficiency of the PTSC

The optical efficiency, o is the fraction of solar radiation incident on the aperture
of the collector which is absorbed at the surface of the receiver tube [26].
S
Ib
(1-26)
With all of the modifiers taken into account, the absorbed radiation, S, or the actual
amount of radiation on the receiver is calculated by [28,29]:
S I b ( a g r ) K ( ) X END
(1-27)
Optical efficiency of PTSC embodies many important concentrators' optical properties

including mirror surface reflectance, a , receiver (glass) transmittance, g , receiver
surface absorption, r, and intercept factor, which represents the fraction of reflected
radiation which intercept the receiver.
10
1.7 Thermal Performance and Losses of PTSC

In a thermal conversion system a working fluid is used to extract energy from the
receiver. The thermal performance of PTSC is determined by their thermal efficiency
which is defined as the ratio of the useful energy delivered to the energy incident at the
concentrator aperture. The thermal losses for a PTSC are from convection and radiation
from the receiver tube to ambient [22,28].
1.7.1 Overall Heat Loss Coefficient (UL)

The overall loss coefficient (UL) combines the thermal losses into one coefficient.
For the assumption that the area between the cover (glass) and the receiver (absorber)
tube is a stagnant quantity of air, UL is one of the most important parameters and can be
found out from the following equation [30].
Ar
1
UL
Ag hc , g amb hr , g amb hr ,r g
(1-28)
Where: Ar area of the receiver (absorber) tube and Ag area of glass cover. hc,g-amb=
convection heat transfer coefficient between glass and ambient air which is due to wind
[28,30].
hc , g amb hw
NUa ka
Dg
(1-29)
Nusselt number (NUa) of air can be defined by two equations [28]:

NUa=0.4 * 0.54 * Rea0.53 for 0.1 < Rea < 1000
(1-29a)
NUa=0.3 * Rea0.6 for 1000 < Rea< 5000
(1-29b)
Reynolds number (Rea) of air is calculated by following equation [31]:
aa Dg
(1-29c)
a
Where ka,a,a and a are thermal conductivity, density, velocity and viscosity of air,
respectively. Dg is cover (glass) diameter.
Rea
11
hr,g-amb = radiation heat transfer coefficient between glass and the ambient.
2
hr , g amb g (Tg Tamb )(Tg2 Tamb
)
(1-30)
hr,r-g = radiation heat transfer coefficient between receiver tube and glass tube.
hr ,r g
(Tr Tg )(Tr2 Tg2 )

A
r
r Ag
1
1
r
(1-31)
Where Tr is temperature of the receiver, Tg is the temperature of the glass, r is emittance

of receiver, g is emmitance of glass and is Stefan Boltzman constant which 5.67X10-8
W/m2k4
1.7.2 Heat Transfer to Fluid

The heat transfer from the receiver tube to the fluid (HTF) must be characterized by
turbulent or laminar flow conditions accordingly, to evaluates the Reynolds number, Ref
of the fluid [32].
Re f
4m
Dr ,i f
(1-32)
Nusselt number of the fluid Nuf for laminar flow is given by equation (1-33) and for
turbulent flow by equation (1-34).
If Ref <2200
Nu f = 3.7
(1-33)
If Ref > 2200
Nu f
( f f / 8) Re f Pr f
1.07 12.7 ( f f / 8) Pr f2/3 1
(1-34)
Friction factor, ff , for smooth pipes is given by:
f f (0.79ln(Re f 1.64))2
(1.35)
12
The heat transfer coefficient, hf, to the fluid is then evaluated [32]:
hf
Nu f k f
(1.36)
Dr ,i
Where m., f, kf, and Prf are mass flow rate, viscosity, thermal conductivity and Prandlt
number of the fluid, respectively. Dr,i is reciver inner diameter.
1.7.3 Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient and Factors

The overall heat transfer coefficient (Uo) is the coefficient for heat transfer from the
surroundings to the fluid, based on the outer diameter of the receiver tube Dr,o, this is
given by following equation [30,33].
D
Dr ,o ln r ,o
D
1
Dr ,i
Uo
r ,o
U
h f Dr ,i
2K
L
(1.37)
Where: K is the thermal conductivity of receiver tube material. It is convenient to define a

collector efficiency factor (F') as: the ratio of actual useful energy collected to the useful
energy collected if the entire absorber surface is at the mean fluid temperature.
F'
Uo
UL
(1-38A)
Now eq. 1-36 can be re-written in the following form [33]:

F'
1/ U L
D
Dr ,o ln r ,o
Dr ,o
1
Dr ,i
h f Dr ,i
2K
L
(1-38B)
The heat removal factor or correction factor, FR, having a value between 0<FR<1,
can be interpreted as the ratio of the actual useful energy collected to that which would be
collected if the entire absorbed surface is at the temperature of the fluid entering the
13
collector. FR is a measure of the efficiency of the receiver when viewed as a heat

exchanger, that is, the effectiveness with which the absorber radiation energy is
transferred to the working fluid. Its value is governed by the working fluid flow rate and
its properties as well as the thermal properties of the receiver material [34].
.
m f Cp
ArU L F '
FR
1 exp .

ArU L
m f C p
(1-39)
Where: cp is the specific heat of the fluid.

The collector flow factor F" is then described in following equation:
.
m
f Cp
FR
ArU L F '
''
F '
1 exp .

F
ArU L F '
m f C p
(1-40)
1.7.4 Thermal Efficiency of a PTSC

The instantaneous thermal efficiency th of a solar concentrator may be calculated
from an energy balance on the receiver. The useful heat gain, Qu, delivered by the
receiver can be written in terms of optical and thermal losses, where optical losses are
represented by the optical efficiency, o [22, 35].
Qu o Ib Aa U L (Tr Tamb ) Ar
(1-41)
Where Aa is the aperture area, since the receiver surface temperature is difficult to
determine, it is convenient to express the Qu in terms of the inlet fluid temperature by
means of heat removal factor FR as [36]:
U (T T )
Qu Aa FR S L f ,i amb
C
(1-42)
The useful heat is related to the flow rate can also be defined on the base of fluid
difference temperature as [22]:
14
Qu mC p (Tf ,o Tf ,i )
(1-43)
Where: Tf,i, Tf,o and Tamb represent the inlet fluid, exit fluid and ambient temperatures,
respectively.
The thermal efficiency of the solar thermal collector can also be simplified and defined as
the ratio of useful heat Qu, delivered per Aa, and the insolation, Ib, which is incident on
the aperture.
Qu
(1-44)
Aa I b
The thermal efficiency of the collector can now be re-written from eq. 1- 42 and eq. 1-44
th
as follow [36, 37].
th FR o
U L (T f ,i Tamb )
I bC
(1-45)
The thermal efficiency depends upon two types of quantities namely the
concentrator design parameters and the parameters characterizing the operating
conditions. The optical efficiency, heat loss coefficient and heat removal factor are the
design dependent parameters while the solar flux, inlet fluid temperature and the ambient
temperature define the operating conditions [22].
The exit fluid temperature, Tf,o the temperature rise, (Tf,o-Tf,i) and the efficiency can be
calculated using the following equation [22,37].
.
th
mC p (T f ,o T f ,i )
Aa I b
(1-46)
1.8 Aim of the Work

The aim of this work can be summarized in the following points:
1. Design and fabrication of a closed type parabolic trough solar collector of total
aperture area (1 m2) to convert the incident solar energy to thermal energy to
achieve some important applications in using thermal solar energy.
2. Theoretical and experimental study to evaluate the performance of the system in
Hamirpur (HP) environment.
15
3. To determine the effect of mass flow rate of working fluid on thermal

performance of the concentrating collector.
4. To determine the effect of absorber tube diameter on the thermal performance of
the concentrating collector.
16
Chapter-2
2 Literature Review
Sagade et al [1], have conducted experiments on prototype parabolic trough made of
fiberglass-reinforced plastic with its aperture area coated by aluminum foil of reflectivity
0.86. From Indian conditions, there is a large potential available for low-cost solarconcentrating technologies for domestic as well as industrial process heat applications.
This line-focusing parabolic trough with mild steel receiver coated with black proxy
material has been tested with and without glass cover. Instantaneous efficiency of 51%
and 39% has been achieved with and without glass cover, respectively. From Indian
conditions, low-cost FRP parabolic trough system can prove beneficial for industrial
heating applications as well as domestic heating. With the system described in this paper,
the following conclusions are drawn:
1. Instantaneous efficiency of the collector has been increased by 13%. Instantaneous
efficiency of 51.67% has been achieved with the glass-covered receiver.
2. Useful heat gained by the receiver increases by 22% with the glass-covered receiver
throughout the day, and the average receiver temperature increased by 23%.
3. It has been observed that, with glass-covered receiver, outlet water temperature and
temperature gradient increase by 29% and 68%, respectively.
4. It has been observed that the average decrease in heat loss coefficient is 70% when the
receiver was covered with glass.
Ruby, Steve[2] (American Energy Assets, California L.P.): This project researched
the viability of producing high temperature industrial process heat from the suns energy.
The installation of a large scale industrial solar thermal system provides an opportunity to
17
evaluate the technical and economic hurdles of similar systems in California. The
research was performed through the design, construction, operation, and analysis of a
high temperature solar thermal system at a FritoLay snack food plant located in Modesto,
California. In this installation, high temperature water in excess of 232C (450F) is
produced by a concentrating solar field, which in turn is used to produce approximately
300 pounds per square inch (20 bar) of process steam. The solar thermal system is
intended to improve plant efficiency with minimal impact on daytoday production
operations. Process steam in the plant is used for cooking, which includes heating edible
oil for frying, and heating baking equipment. Steam is also converted into hot water for
cleaning and sterilization processes.
Xiao Gang [3] describes a closed parabolic trough solar collector with a hermetic
box and a transparent cover and the parabolic reflector forming the back parabolic trough
concentrated solar collector. The tracking of the sun is done by rotating (swinging) the
box around the receiver tube which is fixed with respect to the ground. The absorber is
built by two concentrating tubes with an outer glass tube and an evacuated annular space
between the working fluid and outer glass tube, for the purpose of thermal isolation with a
steel inner tube conducting the HTF, and an outer tube for air tightness. The interior of
the boxes can be filled to a slight overpressure (50Pa or so), with air or gas supplied by a
central equipment due to prevent the dust from the surroundings and subsequent damage
to the optic surfaces. Active carbon can be used to remove most of the gaseous pollutants.
Accepting an optical loss of a few percentages due to reflections by the cover, this design
offers several advantages over the current open model, in particular a potential of
significant cost reduction
Ming Qu et al.[4] developed a linear tracking parabolic trough reflector focused on
a surface-treated metallic pipe receiver enclosed in an evacuated transparent tube, and
obtained fundamental radiative and convective heat transfer and mass and energy balance
relations. The experiment is shows that when hot-water at 165C flows through a 6m
by2.3m Parabolic Trough Solar Collector with 900 w/m2 solar insulation and 0 incident
angles, the estimated collector efficiency is about 55%. In this, work engineering equation
solver (EES) is used to solved the equations involve. The main advantage of EES is
18
automatically identifies and groups equations that must be solved simultaneously.

Second, EES provides many built-in mathematical and thermo physical property
functions useful for engineering calculations. The inside of receiver tube is the absorber
tube coated with selective blackened nickel because of high absorption of short length
solar radiation and low emissivity for long wave energy spectrum to reduce thermal
radiation losses. The efficiency of PTSC is 0.5529. The outlet temperature of Parabolic
Trough Solar Collector is 181C.
S.D Odeh et al. [5]conducted experiments on parabolic trough collector to obtain
the effect of the vacuum space between the steel tube and the glass tube on the reduction
of the total thermal loss. Synthetic oil is used as working fluid. Calculation is down to
measure the main thermal loss from the absorber tube outer wall to the evacuated glass
tube (surrounding the absorber) occurs by radiation. The heat loss from the glass cover
tube occurs by radiation to the sky and by convection to the surrounding air by wind or
natural convection. The second part of the loss from the collector takes place between the
absorber tube and the ambient via the vacuum bellows and supports. The temperature
increase by this experimental setup is about 250- 400 C. The thermal cycle uses a heat
transfer fluid (synthetic oil) to transfer energy from the collector field to a Rankine steam
cycle via a heat exchanger.
Joshua Folaranmi [6] reported the designed, constructed and testing of a parabolic
solar steam generator works on solar energy and made concentrating collector, heat from
the sun was concentrated on a black absorber located at the focus point of the reflector in
which water is heated to a very high temperature to form steam. It also describes the sun
tracking system unit by manual tilting of the lever at the base of the parabolic dish to
capture solar energy. The whole arrangement is mounted on a hinged frame supported
with a slotted lever for tilting the parabolic dish reflector to different angles so that the
sun is always directed to the collector at different period of the day. On the average sunny
and cloud free days, the test results gave high temperature above 200C. The testing of
the parabolic dish solar steam generator was done in the month of January 2009 for three
days. The whole set was placed in an open space in the sun from 9:00am in the morning
to 5:00 pm in the evening each day for three days. Resistance thermometer placed at the
19
focal point was used to obtain its maximum obtainable Temperature. The results obtained
for hourly reading of 8hours every day.
Brooks, M.J et al. [7]conducted experiments to measure and testing the performance
of components of parabolic trough solar collector and development in a solar energy
research programme. Low-temperature testing was performed at Mangosuthu
Technikons STARlab facility using water as the working fluid. Both an evacuated glass
shielded receiver and an unshielded receiver were tested, with which peak thermal
efficiencies of 53.8% and 55.2% were obtained respectively. The glass-shielded element
offered superior performance at the maximum test temperature, experiment also
contained a tracking system. Pumping system provided for feed control quantity of fluid.
In this study only low-temperature testing was conducted with receiver inlet temperatures
from 20C to 85C. M.
Halil [8] conducted experiments in which one-dimensional heat transfer model for
the thermal analysis of the receiver subsystem was presented to reducing the optical
errors. It is also useful for analysis the geometry of collector. It was shown that this model
could be used to calculate a heat-loss parameter of receiver surface area to characterize
the thermal behavior of the receiver. It was shown that the presented thermal analysis
could be used to size the annulus gap size. The method developed can be used in a
comprehensive design and optimization method.
Garca A. Fernandez et al. [9] presented paper in which an overview of the
parabolic trough collectors that have been built and the prototypes currently under
development. It also presents a survey of solar system to supply thermal energy up to
400oC, which is especially for steam power cycles for electricity generation. First
commercial collectors were used in U.S. Governments Sandia National Laboratories and
Honeywell International Inc. Both collectors were quite similar in concept and were
prepared to work at temperatures below 250C. They studied Luz collectors, Euro Trough
collector and discuss their application in the field of Steam production for sterilization,
Dairy, Steam production for silk printing, Steam production for pharmaceutical
chemicals, Cold generation, Refrigeration in isolated areas etc.
20
Singh B.S.M. et al. [10]conducted experiment of solar parabolic trough collector of

equilibrium achieved between the increasing thermal losses with the increasing aperture
area, and the increasing optical losses with the decreasing aperture area for the
optimization of the long-term performance. Three different types working fluid were used
with maximum theoretical concentration ratio of about 212. It is found that with
increasing concentration ratio, heat removal factor and efficiency reduce.
Gregory J Kolb [11]developed the time-dependent performance of the proposed
storage system that was evaluated with a new model of the plant; based on the TRNSYS
simulation system. Results indicate that the proposed system should work well at
Saguaro. The paper describes the TRNSYS model and the engineering insights gleaned
from annual performance simulations of the plant. A TRNSYS model of the 1 MW
Saguaro solar trough plant has been developed. In the TRNSYS model with storage it is
assumed that the solar field will be expanded from the current size of 10300 m2 to 18800
m2. During daytime, the solar field directly powers the ORC, as before, but excess energy
collected by the solar field is stored in the thermocline for later delivery to the ORC after
sunset The model is capable of predicting the time-dependent flows and temperatures
within the solar field and proposed thermocline storage system, as well as the power
produced by the organic Rankine cycle power block. Analysis conducted with the model
indicates that the proposed thermocline energy storage system should work well and only
small annual performance improvements are possible through changes to its design and
operation.
Ari Rabl [12] matched a variety of solar concentrators in terms of their most
important general characteristics namely concentration, acceptance angle, sensitivity to
mirror errors, size of reflector area and average number of reflections. The connection
between concentration, acceptance angle and operating temperature of a solar collector is
analyzed in simple intuitive terms for designing for designing collectors with maximum
concentration.
Scott A. Jones et al. [13] created model of 30MWe SEGS VI in the TRNSYS
simulation software to understand the behavior in respect of operating conditions. It
21
anticipates effect on model in adequate environment condition. This software has

capability to perform details analysis by which model could be improved.
Isabel Llorente Garcia et al. [14] explained the performance of parabolic trough
solar thermal power plant with help of simulation model. The model is to anticipate the
electric output during the various stages of planning, design, operation and construction.
This model compares result to real data (50MWe operated by ACS Industrial group of
Spain). Doing this comparison we can decide the mass flow rate of HTF.
V.Siva Reddy et al.[15] did exergetic analysis of PTCSTPP to improve the
performance of the plant and to reduce the loss of the components to optimize the
maximum efficiency. Land areas required for 50MWe for the location of Jodhpur and
Delhi to increase exergetic efficiency from 23.66% to 24.32%.
Iman Niknia et al.[16] performed a transient simulation to integrating a new PTC
collector with oil cycle and an auxiliary boiler. For analysis, a computer code is
developed and experiments are performed to validate the simulation program. Based on
the selected conditions, annual power generation of solar part and fossil section are
determined and compared with fossil fuel plant. Comparison of the new system with
previous arrangement illustrates that various integration schemes can be easily simulated
and an appropriate system to satisfy the main design objectives can be chosen.
Iman Niknia et al. [17]designed a 250 kW Shiraz solar thermal power plant power
to promote the field of collectors by installing a large parabolic collector and combining
the system with a 500 kW hybrid boiler. This hybrid plant performance is evaluated by
simulation software to predict outcomes at the operating working condition. Due to this
capability, this provides best strategies to control the operation.
Hank Price et al. [18] reviewed the current state of the art of parabolic trough solar
power technology and described the R&D efforts that are in progress to enhance this
technology. The paper also shows how the economics of future parabolic trough solar
power plants are expected to improve. The operating performance of the existing
parabolic trough power plants has demonstrated this technology to be robust and an
excellent performer in the commercial power industry and since the last commercial
22
parabolic trough plant was built, substantial technological progress has been realized. The
various alternative technologies are given for the tracking mechanisms, reflector
materials, heat collection elements thermal characteristics, heat transfer fluids and power
cycle to reduce the cost of the plant. Parabolic trough solar power technology appears to
be capable of competing directly with conventional fossil-fuel power plants in
mainstream markets in the relatively near term. Given that parabolic trough technology
utilizes standard industrial manufacturing processes, materials, and power cycle
equipment, the technology is poised for rapid deployment should the need emerge for a
low-cost solar power option.
S.K. Tyagi et al. [19] evaluated the exergetic performance of concentrating type
solar collector and the parametric study is made using hourly solar radiation from the
exergy output is optimized with respect to the inlet fluid temperature and the
corresponding efficiencies are computed.
R.Lugo-Leyte et al. [20]suggested preventing the deflection due to long pipe/tube &
high temperature. It has provided the composition of receiver tube material as copper
(20%) and steel (80%). according this compound pipe is 75% less than gradient of the
simple pipe in a time of ten second. Compound absorber pipe offers greater resistance to
the deflection provoked by the direct steam generation.
Amirtham Valan Arasu et al. [21]investigated the performance of a new parabolic
trough collector hot water generation system with a well-mixed hot water storage tank.
The storage tank water temperature is increased from 35C at 9.30 h to 73.84C at 16.00 h
when no energy is withdrawn from the storage tank. The average beam radiation during
the collection period is 699 W/m2. The useful heat gain, collector instantaneous
efficiency, energy gained by the storage tank water and the efficiency of the system as a
whole are found to follow the variation of incident beam radiation as these parameters are
strongly influenced by the incident beam radiation. The values of each of those
parameters are observed maximum at noon.
Soteris A. Kalogirou et al. [22] presented a parabolic trough solar collector system
used for steam generation. A Modelling program called as PTCDES which is written in
23
BASIC language is developed for determining the quantity of steam produced by the
steam generation system. The flash vessel size, capacity and inventory determine how
much energy is used at the beginning of the day for raising the temperature of the
circulating water to saturation temperature before effective steam production begins.
System performance tests indicate that the Modelling program is accurate to within 1.2%
which is considered very accurate. The theoretical system energy analysis is presented in
the form of Sankey diagram. The analysis shows that only 48.9% of the available solar
radiation is used for steam generation.
El Fadar et al. [23]presented a study of solar adsorption cooling machine, where the
reactor is heated by a parabolic trough collector (PTC) and is coupled with a heat pipe
(HP). This reactor contains a porous medium constituted of activated carbon, reacting by
adsorption with ammonia. A model, based on the equilibrium equations of the refrigerant,
adsorption isotherms, heat and mass transfer within the adsorbent bed and energy balance
in the hybrid system components has been developed. From real climatic data, the model
computes the performances of the machine. In comparison with other systems powered
by flat plate or evacuated tube collectors. The numerical results show a great sensitivity
of the performance coefficient of the machine to the radius of the absorber and the
aperture width of collector.
Ricardo Vasquez Padilla et al. [24]performed a one dimensional numerical heat
transfer analysis of a PTSC. The receiver and envelope were divided into several
segments and mass and energy balance were applied in each segment. Improvements
either in the heat transfer correlations or radiative heat transfer analysis are presented as
well. The partial differential equations were discretized and the nonlinear algebraic
equations were solved simultaneously. Finally, to validate the numerical results, the
model was compared with experimental data obtained from Sandia National Laboratory
(SNL) and other one dimensional heat transfer models. The results showed a better
agreement with experimental data compared to other models.
Martin Kaltschmitt et al. [25] described that solar energy has a share of more than
99.9 % of all the energy converted on earth. The solar radiation incident on the earth is
weakened within the atmosphere and partially converted into other energy forms (e.g.
24
wind, hydro power). Part of the solar radiation energy can be converted into heat by using
absorbers (e.g. solar collectors).
25
Chapter 3
3 Material and method

3.1 Important considerations for designing a parabolic
trough
3.1.1
Collector aperture
The collector aperture affects both the optical efficiency and the concentration ratio.
With respect to optical efficiency, the collector aperture affects the collector aperture area
loss (geometric factor) due to abnormal incidence effects. The smaller the collector
aperture, the smaller will be the geometric factor which leads to higher optical efficiency.
On the other hand, for a fixed receiver diameter, the concentration ratio is reduced as the
aperture decreases, which results in higher thermal losses. So the objective is to have a
small geometric factor with a large concentration ratio.
3.1.2 Rim angle

The rim angle is the angle from the rim of the collector to the line normal to the
collector surface passing through the focus. For the same aperture, various rim angles are
possible. For different rim angles, the focus-to-aperture ratio which defines the curvature
of the parabola is variable. It can be demonstrated that, with a 90 rim angle, the mean
focus to reflector distance and hence the reflected beam spread is minimized, so that the
slope and tracking errors are less pronounced. The collector's surface area decreases as
the rim angle is decreased. Thus, there is a temptation to use smaller rim angles because
there is only a small reduction in optical efficiency. However, it has been proved that the
26
cost of the reduction in the performance with the small decrease in optical efficiency is
greater than the saving in material area. The intercept factor is a function of rim angle. A rim
angle that maximizes the intercept factor should be chosen and is so close to its maximum
over a broad range of values for rim angle that the choice of rim angle within this range can
be determined by other considerations such as mechanical strength and ease of manufacture.
3.1.3 Receiver diameter

The receiver diameter determines the intercept factor and consequently the optical
efficiency. The intercept factor is the ratio of the energy intercepted by the receiver to the
total energy reflected by the focusing device. Its value depends on the size of the receiver, the
surface angle errors of the parabolic mirror, and the solar beam spread
3.1.4 Reflector support structures

The reflector support structure is the primary member of a PTC which provides the
correct optical shape for the reflector surface, maintains the same to within acceptable
tolerances during operation and offers protection during operating and non-operating periods
from extreme weather conditions. Commercially available PTCs can either have a sandwich
structure or a monocoque structure.
The choice of materials of these categories is considered on the basis of environmental
stability, durability, mechanical and physical properties, suitability of the construction
method, fitness for high production rates, low total weight and resulting cost.
The sandwich structure is a good design, but high precision moulds are required in
order to successfully fabricate high quality PTC. In commercial PTCs, either aluminum or
stainless-steel honeycomb are used as sandwich materials, which are expensive.
Alternatively, paper honeycomb with stainless steel or aluminum skin can be used. In
addition to light weight, it is also cost effective. Although the monocoque structure is quite
stiff, its weight per unit area is somewhat high. Furthermore, it is difficult to achieve the
required surface accuracies unless careful quality control is exercised at every stage of its
fabrication.
The performance requirements for the PTC structure are:
(1) To provide and maintain the correct optical shape to the reflective surfaces
(2) To maintain the shape within the specified tolerances during operations
(3) To protect the reflective surfaces under extreme weather conditions and
27
(4) To withstand long term exposure to the environment.
In engineering terms, these requirements mean that the stresses and the deflections
experienced by the trough and the reflector must remain below specified levels under
gravity, wind and thermal loads, and at the same time, the physical properties of the
structure, such as the size and weight, must be compatible with the overall design
objectives.
In addition to these other factors like light weight and low fabrication cost must also
be taken into consideration.
3.1.5 Structural design requirements

In addition to geometric parameters, a significant design consideration can be the
loads that act on the PTC structure:
The weight of the mirror
The weight of the mirror supporting members and
The wind loads.

Of these, the wind load is very important, since it decides the rigidity and integrity
of a PTC structure as well as its foundation requirements.

The Sandia Laboratory of the U.S.A. has specified the following design
requirements for a PTC structure:
Survive 120 km/h wind in any position
Operate in 40 km/h average wind and
Drive to stow in a wind increasing at a rate of 7.5 km/h.
3.1.6 Wind load on reflector support structure

In developing solar collectors, wind loading is one of the major structural design
considerations. The shape of the collector, its height above the ground, the collector pitch
angle the number and arrangement of collectors in an array and the direction of the wind
are several parameters which can modify the loads applied to the collector. Besides
having to safely sustain maximum expected loads, a tracking collector must also be able
to maintain its desired orientation within a certain accuracy band in typical environments
28
and at minimum cost. In addition, wind load information in terms of forces and moments
is needed from the standpoint of foundation and other structural design considerations,
while the pressure distribution is a valuable tool to be used in the detailed design of a
PTC itself.
3.2 Material study

Based on the extensive studies for suitable materials for the various parts of the
solar collector based on their thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. Various
properties are desirable for the various parts of the parabolic collector.
The property of the material that is to be used for coating should be such that it
should be able to withstand high temperatures, have good reflectivity, should be resistive
to corrosion and also should have low transitivity and absorptivity. For this purpose silver
seems to be an ideal candidate but due to the high cost and requirement of heat treated
bend glass plate and high cost of silvering and difficulty in maintaining the silver coating
and requirement of extreme care while handling the same, makes it not an economically
viable solution for the reflective surface. It was decided that mirror coating stainless steel
is used as a reflective material because of its optical efficiency is 70% to 85%. Another
advantage of using mirror coating stainless steel is its long life and very small corrosion.
It is also wind-loading deformation free.
The material used for the structure should be more resistive to compression than
tension. It should have high strength and capable of taking fatigue loading and should have
good resistance to corrosion. Mild steel is the most preferred material for the purpose.
The material used for making the pipe section should be a good conductor of heat,
should be able to maintain its properties for sufficiently high temperature, it should have good
absorptivity and good conductance and preferably, low emissivity to avoid radiation loses
from the pipe section. It should be able to resist corrosion. On the inner surface, the working
fluid is ordinary water, which can lead to calcification, and rusting. The outer surface being
exposed to the atmosphere should also have some kind of protection mechanism. It is
preferred to use copper tubes of diameter 30mm considering the required mass flow rates and
good heat transfer properties.
29
A summary of the various materials to be used is summarized as follows
Table 3.1: Material selection summary

Usage
Materials
Back plate
Stainless steel
Receiver
Cupper
Structure
Mild steel
Reflecting surface
Mirror coating
Cover
Transparent glass (4mm)
3.2.1 Mirror materials

The optical efficiency of PTC modules is largely dictated by the reflectivity of the
materials used. In solar energy applications, back silvered glass plates, anodized aluminum
sheets and aluminized plastic films serve as reflectors. Of the various commercially available
reflector materials Corning 0317glass 1.5 mm thick, having evaporated silver coating, is the
best reflector, since its reflectivity is high at all acceptance angles. The composite glass
mirror manufactured by M/s GLAVERBEL, Belgium, having reflectivity of the order of 92%
in the solar spectrum, has been used in several industrial process heat systems.
3.2.2 Glass cover

A glass cover on top of the reflector also has many advantages, and hence, is used in
this model. Firstly, it provides green-house effect inside the chamber, by converting short
wave to long wave. Thus, the infra-red radiation that enters the chamber will only help in
increasing the temperature of the working fluid. Secondly, the glass cover acts as a lid
protecting the reflector from dust and particulate matter. Lastly, there are certain heat losses
due to the wind effect, and they get eliminated when a glass cover is used.
3.3 Design of parabolic reflector

The dimensions of closed type PTSC were taken and designed so that it is feasible
for easy installation and transportation. In this study it is used for research purposes in
Centre for Energy and Environment (CEEE) of NIT Hamirpur. The input parameters
considered for closed type PTSC design are width aperture of closed type PTC (a) and
rim angle ( ) (Figure 3.1).
30
A 90 rim angle was used in order to maintain a space between the glass cover and the
absorber pipe, as well as a a of 102cm. the length of the parabola (Eq. 1)
x2
4f
(1)
where f is the focal point of parabola
Figure 3:1: parabolic curve for collector

The dimensions of the collector can be seen on Table.
Table 3.2 dimensions of the collector
Item
Length
Aperture
Rim angle
Focal length
Receiver diameter
Geometrical CR
Concentrator height
Sample
L
d
Cg
h
Value
1m
1m2
90o
0.25m
19.05, 25.4, 31.75mm
33.45, 25.07, 20.06
0.25m
Finally, using concentration ratio equation (kalogirou 2003) we obtained 26.3 for the
close type PTC; this means that the closed type PTC receptor theoretically has a
concentration of 26 Suns.
31
3.4 Drawing of PTC

All components of the closed type PTC were design using a software (CATIA
V5R20), based on the dimensions shown in Table 1.The supporting structure were made
by square iron pipe . for reflector sheet support the 10mm square iron rod is used ,where
the stainless steel reflective sheet is placed.it is observed in fig
Figure 3:2: 3D drawing of PTC in CATIA

At the top of the closed type PTC, a transparent glass cover (1.104 m width x 1.06
m length x 0.004 m thick) is placed to minimize convective losses on the absorber pipe,
increasing the thermal gain on the thermal fluid and consequently its thermal efficiency.
Figure
shows the base supports where the parabolic trough collector PTC will be
installed with rotation axis of PTC structure, maintaining the absorber tube only a rotation
degree of freedom rather than translational.
32
Figure shows an explosion rendering of the PTC assembly, where all components can be
observed. The structure is composed of two central ribs and two edge ribs, which are held
together by a rectangular frame.
3.5 System design

The system is designed to provide a temperature of 80 o, raising the temperature of the
fluid from the ambient temperature i.e. 30o. Mass flow rate for the required temperature rise
and the velocity of flow is calculated as below.
For 1 KW
Mass flow rate () =
power
1000
5.98 103 kg / s
C p T 4180 50
m
5.98 103
0.0122m / s
Velocity of flow; V=
Ainner 1000 4.906 104
Time required for one pass of the fluid =
total length
1
82sec
velocity of flow 0.0122
Power input (Solar energy)

Irradiation, Ib= 450 W/ m2
Intensity of radiation on the collector = Ib Ac = 4501 = 450 W/ m2
For an optical efficiency of 70%,
Intensity of radiation on receiver; Ir=0.7 450 = 315 W/m2
For an incident intensity of 315 W/m2 and mass flow rate of 0.00598 kg /s, the
temperature rise for a single pass can be found out as follows:
Ir
315
12.60o C 13o C
m C p 0.00598 4180
3.5.1 Parabolic reflector

Dimensions
Width = 1.04 m
Length = 1.06m
Projected area (Ac) = 1 m2
33
Defining equation = X2 = 4AY (A- focal distance)
3.5.2 Focal point fixing

Rim angle () = 90
Focal distance a = 0.24 m or 24 cm
For optimum focal distance and curve length, a rim angle of 90 is selected for the model.
3.5.3 Receiver
Copper tube 25mm inner diameter
28.2 mm outer diameter
Area of receiver =DL
Area of receiver exposed to rays (AR) =
( DL) 0.0282 1
0.0443m2
2
2
( Di2 ) 0.025
Inner cross-sectional area (Ai) =

4
4
4.90625 10
( Di2 ) 0.0282
Outer cross-sectional area (Ao) =

4
4
6.2426 10
m2
4
m2
Concentration ratio (CR)

CR =
Ac
1
22.5734
AR 0.0443
Receiver section
Material copper tube
Specification- Inside diameter-25mm
Outside diameter- 28.2mm
Fluid water
COPPER TUBE
Volume of tube for 1m length= DtL
Where, D- Mean diameter; t- Thickness; L Length
= 0.0266 0.0016 1
= 1.33638 10-4
34
Density of copper =8940 kg / m3

Mass of tube = Volume Density
= 1.33638 10-4 8940
= 1.19472 kg
Fluid flowing
Volume of fluid flowing for 1 m length =
Di2 L
Where ( Di inner diameter ; L- length)

=
0.025 1
2
= 4.90625 10-4 m2
Mass of fluid flowing =Volume Density
= 4.90625 10-4 1000
= 0.490 kg
3.6 Fabrication
3.6.1 Supporting structure
After Design calculation of closed type PTC, fabrication of closed type PTC in
mechanical workshop was done. Firstly supporting structure was made in which
rectangular cross section of MS pipe was done. The design of supporting structure was
according to the CATIA software. The dimensions used in the supporting structure are as
follows:Table 3.3: Dimension of structure components of PTC
S.
Component
Dimensions
No.
1.
For base structure
25x50x800mm
25x50x1117.8mm
2.
For parabola holder
25x25x882.25mm
25x25x500mm
3.
For base structure to parabola holder
25x25x465mm
Quantity
2 No.
2 No.
2 No.
2No.
4No.
35
Once the cutting of pipes was completed, connecting the pipes according to the
drawing was the next step. A hole was made in parabola holder pipe (882.25mm) whose
diameter was 10mm. This hole was made in the middle of the pipe for rib or nut.
3.6.2 Parabolic trough support structure

This structure is made by 8mm thick MS rod. The cutting was done with the help
of electric iron cutter. These lengths are as following:
Table 3.4: Dimension of parabolic trough support structure component
Sr.
Component
Dimensions
Quantity
No.
1.
For parabolic shape
8x8x116mm
3 No.
2.
For joint parabolic shape
8x8x107mm
3 No.
Parabolic shape was given to 3 rods (116cm) with the help of hammer and die.
Further they were welded together according to the design. The parabolic trough structure
was fitted in the supporting structure with the help of 8mm hexagonal type nut bolt.
The mirror coated stainless steel sheet was fitted in the parabolic trough structure
with help of 3mm nut bolts. A .8 mm iron sheet was cut to cover both the edges of the
parabolic trough structure. This sheet was attached to the parabolic trough edges.
Glass cover
L shape MS angle was used to make glass cover frame. The length and breadth of
glass frame were 110cm and 107cm respectively. The glass was fitted into the frame to
make it a closed box structure. This frame is placed on the parabolic box.
Receiver
Copper pipe was used as a receiver (25mm diameter, thickness 1.6 mm and length
110cm). This copper pipe was inserted at focal axis of the parabolic trough.
This whole assembly was assembled on the roof top of the CEEE department
building NIT Hamirpur (HP)
A 500L tank was used for water inlet and connection were made by GI pipe and
PVC pipe.
36
Figure 3:3: Parabolic trough collector
3.7 Design analysis

The instantaneous efficiency of a PTC can be calculated from an energy balance on
the receiver tube. The instantaneous efficiency is defined as the rate at which useful
energy is delivered to the working fluid per unit of aperture area divided by the beam
solar flux at the collector aperture plane.
Optical Efficiency
The optical efficiency can be expressed as:
o= [K ()] [ ()n ]
Where, ()n = Effective transmittance-absorptance factor at normal incidence
= intercept factor at normal incidence,
This definition of the optical efficiency allows a clear distinction between the
factors contributing to it. The first bracketed term is the incidence angle effect. The
second bracketed term represents the material properties and the last term, the intercept
factor, contains the effects of all optical errors.
The potential errors (or imperfections) that may be encountered in a PTC are illustrated
in Fig. They are
37
Non-specularity (diffusivity) of the reflector material,
Profile and slope errors of the reflector support structure,
Tracking errors
Misalignment of the receiver with respect to the focal plane of the PTC
Figure 3:4 Descriptions of optical errors in PTCs
3.8 Thermal analysis

The primary function of the receiver subsystem of a PTC is to absorb and transfer
the concentrated energy to the fluid flowing through it. In this process, the absorbing
surface of the receiver will be heated, and its temperature will become considerably
higher than that of the surroundings. For example, depending on the temperature
requirements of the application, operating temperatures, as high as 300C can be attained
at the absorbing surface of the receiver during operation. Subsequently, the temperature
difference between the absorbing surface and the surroundings will cause some of the
collected energy to be transferred back to the surroundings.
The knowledge of heat loss from the receiver is important for predicting the
performance and, hence, designing PTCs. Proper calculation of the heat loss from the
receiver is important for predicting the performance, and hence, designing PTCs.
There are three different heat exchanges exist between the components of the
receiver. These are
Heat transfer from the absorber tube to the working fluid
Heat exchange between the absorber tube and the glass cover (glassing)
38
Heat exchange between the glass cover and the surroundings.
The total heat loss from the collector module can be calculated by:
Qo-L = UIoss(x){Tglass(x)- Ta}dx
Where
Uloss(x) = the heat transfer coefficient for combined convection and radiation heat losses
from the outer surface of the glass cover.
39
Chapter 4
1. Results and discussions
4.1 Problem formulation

Parametric analysis of a close type parabolic trough collector having mirror coated
stainless steel reflector with mirror finish was carried out with different combinations of
mass flow rate and diameter of the receiver tube. The temperature of the fluid at inlet and
outlet of the receiver tube along with the surface temperature of the tubes were recorded
with the help of RTD (Resistance Temperature Detectors) sensors. The intensity of solar
radiations was measured using a digital pyranometer and the wind velocity using an
anemometer. On the basis of data recorded system various properties of the system such
as the thermal efficiency, heat removal factor and overall heat loss coefficient were
evaluated.
4.2 Experimental Procedure

Steps that were followed during the experimental investigation are as followsStep 1: To clean the glass cover in order to remove the accumulated dust
Step 2: Setting and positioning the reflector according to the suns position. Open the
water tank valve and manual track and running the system for 30 min prior to recording
the first reading.
Step 3: The time gap between each reading is set to 5 min. Flow rate of the heat transfer
fluid was maintained constant to ensure proper reading.
40
Step 4: The system was started 9:30 AM and the reading was taken from 10:00 AM to
01:00 PM by recording the data every 10 min.
Step 5: The receiver was changed after readings of four different mass flow rates were
recorded.
The same procedure was repeated for other readings.
The experimental procedure as mentioned above was followed throughout the
experimental investigation.
4.3 Experimental results

The following results are gathered by the parametric performance analysis of the
close type parabolic trough collector system.
4.3.1 Receiver pipe diameter 19.05mm with 200ml/min

It is observed from figure 4.1 that the thermal performance of the collector first
starts to increase till it reaches a maximum value at around 12 p.m. and then starts to
decrease slowly as the time passes. The reason behind this is that the solar insolation
increases as the time reaches 12 p.m. and the collector attains the best thermal efficiency.
On this day average solar radiation was 824.5 for 10:00AM to 1:00PM (see in figure 4.2)
so that average efficiency was 37.1%. At that time duration average wind speed was
0.42m/sec. and mass flow rate of water was 200ml/min.
41
Temperture & Efficiency
70
Date-1/4/2016 Receiver pipe diameter

19.05mm & Mass flow rate 200ml/Min.
60
Temp Inlet (degC)
50
40
Outlet Temp.-K
(degC)
30
20
Ambient Temp.-K
(degC)
10
0
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
efficiency
Time
Figure 1:1: Graph of Time vs. Temp. & Efficiency
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Radiation
Date-1/4/2016 Radiation (W/m2)
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time
Figure 1:2: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time

It is observed from figure 4.3 & 4.4 that the efficiency of the collector varies due
to variation in solar radiation (it varies from 348.9W/m2 to 807.8W/m2). During this time
duration average solar radiation was 639.3 for 10:00AM to 1:00PM so that average
efficiency was 36.2%. At that time duration average wind speed was 0.54m/sec. and mass
flow rate of water was 400ml/min.
42

70
Temp. & Efficiency
60
Inlet Temp.-K (degC)
50
Outlet Temp.-K (degC)

40
Ambient Temp.-K (degC)
30
efficiency
20
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Radiation
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time

It is observed from figure 4.5 & 4.6 that the efficiency of the collector was
varying irregularly and the general trend was downward. This was due to increase in solar
radiation and constant variation in the ambient temperature. As a result, the water inlet
temperature increased continuously. During this duration, solar radiation varied from
813.4W/m2 to 989.2W/m2. On this day average solar radiation was 933.44 W/m2 for
10:00AM to 1:00PM. The average efficiency was 44.33%. It can be observed from
43
figure-4.5 that maximum efficiency was noted as 49.47% and minimum efficiency was
noted as 38.9%. At that time duration average wind speed was 0.83m/sec. and mass flow
rate of water was 600ml/min.

Temp. & Efficiency
60
Temp Inlet (degC)
50
40
30
efficiency
20
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time
1500
1000
500
0
10:00:0
10:10:0
10:20:0
10:30:0
10:40:0
10:50:0
11:00:0
11:10:0
11:20:0
11:30:0
11:40:0
11:50:0
12:00:0
12:10:0
12:20:0
12:30:0
12:40:0
12:50:0
1:00:00
Radiation
Date-8/4/2016 Radiation(W/m2)
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time

Figure 4.7 &4.8 shows that the efficiency of the collector varied from 29.2% to
41.9% due to variation in solar radiation and constantly varying ambient temperature.
Hence, the outlet water temperature increase till 12:00 noon and decreased thereafter.
When data was being taken, solar radiation was varied from 843.5W/m2 to 1006.3W/m2.
At this day average solar radiation was 960.55W/m2 for 10:00AM to 1:00PM so that
44
average efficiency was calculated as 35.12%. At that time duration average wind speed
was 0.68m/sec. and mass flow rate of water was 200ml/min.

Temp & Efficiency
70
60
Inlet Temp.-K (degC)
50
40
30
efficiency
20
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Radiation

1100
1000
900
800
700
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time

Figure 4.9&4.10 shows data for the date 15/4/2016. The average wind speed on
this day was 0.75m/s. The maximum and minimum solar radiation on this day was
927W/m2and the minimum was 313.5w/m2. The average was 726.45w/m2. The inlet and
outlet temperature variation followed the regular trend of incresing throughout the day.
The average was 24.23oC for inlet and 35.72oC for outlet, maintaining the mass flow rate
45
of 400ml/min. The efficieny graph is showing a large irregularity because of large amount
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Temp Inlet (degC)
efficiency
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Temp. & Efficiency
of variation in solar radiation. The peak efficiency is 69%, while the average is 46.68%.
Time
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Pyranometer (W/m2)
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Radiation
Time

Figure 4.11 & 4.12 shows that the efficiency of the collector little varied from
41.6% to 47.6% due to small variation in solar radiation and constantly increase ambient
temperature. Hence, the outlet water temperature continuous increase. When data was
being taken, solar radiation was varied from 750.65W/m2 to 914.83W/m2. At this day
average solar radiation was 866.65W/m2 for 10:00AM to 1:00PM so that average
46
efficiency was calculated as 45.12%. At that time duration average wind speed was
0.97m/sec. and mass flow rate of water was 600ml/min

Temp.& Efficiency
60
50
Temp Inlet (degC)
40
30
20
efficiency
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time
Radiation
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time

It is observed from figure 4.13 that the efficiency of the collector first starts to
increase till it reaches a maximum value at around 11:10a.m. and then starts to little
decrease as the time passes. The reason behind this is that the solar insolation increases as
the time reaches 12 p.m. and the collector attains the best thermal efficiency. On this day
47
average solar radiation was 916.6W/m2 for 10:00AM to 1:00PM (see in figure 4.14) so
that average efficiency was 49.36%. At that time duration average wind speed was
0.68m/sec. and mass flow rate of water was 200ml/min. The inlet and outlet temperature
variation followed the regular trend of incresing throughout the day. The average was
28.4oC for inlet and 60.9oC for outlet.

70
Temp Inlet (degC)
Temp. & Efficiency
60
50
40
30
20
efficiency
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time
Radiation
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Pyranometer (W/m2)
Time

Figure 4.15 & 4.16 shows data for the date 25/4/2016. The average wind speed on
48
1004.7W/m2 and 768.6W/m2. The average was 927.6W/m2. The inlet and outlet
temperature variation followed the regular trend of increasing and decreasing throughout
the day. The average was 26.65oC for inlet and 42.66oC for outlet, maintaining the mass
flow rate of 400ml/min. The efficiency graph is showing a large irregularity because of
variation in solar radiation. The peak efficiency is 62.8%, while the average is 47.8%.

31.75mm & Mass flow rate 400ml/Min
70
50
Temp Inlet (degC)
40
30
20
efficiency
10
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Time

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Pyranometer (W/m2)
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
Radiation
Temp. & Efficiency
60
Time
49

Figure 4.17 & 4.18 shows data for the date 29/4/2016. The average wind speed on
872.4W/m2 and 748.4W/m2. The average was 819.93W/m2. The inlet and outlet
temperature variation followed the regular trend of increasing and decreasing throughout
the day. The average was 27.265oC for inlet and 36.55oC for outlet, maintaining the mass
flow rate of 600ml/min. The efficiency graph is showing a large irregularity because of
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Temp Inlet (degC)
efficiency
10:00:00
10:10:00
10:20:00
10:30:00
10:40:00
10:50:00
11:00:00
11:10:00
11:20:00
11:30:00
11:40:00
11:50:00
12:00:00
12:10:00
12:20:00
12:30:00
12:40:00
12:50:00
1:00:00
Temp. & Efficiency
variation in solar radiation. The peak efficiency is 66.8%, while the average is 47.5%.
Time

900
850
Radiation
Pyranometer (W/m2)
800
750
700
10:00:00 AM
10:10:00 AM
10:20:00 AM
10:30:00 AM
10:40:00 AM
10:50:00 AM
11:00:00 AM
11:10:00 AM
11:20:00 AM
11:30:00 AM
11:40:00 AM
11:50:00 AM
12:00:00 PM
12:10:00 PM
12:20:00 PM
12:30:00 PM
12:40:00 PM
12:50:00 PM
1:00:00 PM
650
Time

50
4.4 Variation of efficiency with time

The efficiency of the system was evaluated for various combinations of
parameters which are as follows.
4.4.1 Varying diameters of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.200

kg/min
It can be observed that from figure 4.19 that the thermal performance of the
collector first starts to increase as the time changes from till it reaches a maximum value
at around 12 p.m. and then starts to decrease slowly as the time passes. The reason behind
is that the solar insolation increases as the time reaches 12 p.m. and the collector attains
the best thermal efficiency. It can also be seen that the as the diameter of the tube
increases efficiency increases which is due to an increase in area of heat transfer.
tube material Cu
Mass flow rate 0.200kg/Min.
70
Efficency(%)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Day Time
EFFICIENCY (d1=19.05 mm)
EFFICIENCY (d2=25.4 mm))
Figure 1:19: Efficiency VS time graph for mass flow rate 0.2 kg/min
4.4.2 Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.400

kg/min
Figure 4.20 shows a steady increase in the efficiency as the time passes reaching
to maximum and then declining till the end of the readings. The curve reaches to a
maximum at about noon where the solar insolation reaches its maxima. As the area of
51
heat transfer increases which is due to increase in tube diameter higher efficiencies were
obtained.
4.4.3 Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.600

kg/min
It can be observed from figure 4.3 that the thermal efficiency of the collector
increases as the time passes and reaches to a maximum value at noon. It then shows a
decreasing trend. It can also be seen that the performance of the collector increases as the
tube diameter increases. This trend is due to an increase in solar intensity as well as the
area available for heat transfer.
Tube material Cu
Mass flow rate 0.600kg/min.
Efficiency(%)
80
60
40
20
0
Time
EFFICIENCY (d1=19.05 mm)
52
4.4.4 Varying mass flow rate of water when receiver tube diameter is
19.05mm
If we see time efficiency graph which plotted when the receiver tube diameter is
19.05mm and the mass flow rate of water is different. It can be observed that efficiency of
0.6kg/min mass flow rate is high because of maximum heat is transfer by high flow rate.
Its average efficiency was 44.44% compare to .4 and .2kg/min
RECEIVER TUBE DIAMETER 19.05MM

EFFICIENCY (m1=.2 Kg/min)

70.00
EFFICIENCY(%)
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
TIME
Figure 1:22: Efficiency VS time graph for receiver diameter is 19.05mm
25.4mm
The given graph depicts the variation in overall efficiency with respect to three mass
flow rates (m1, m2 and m3) for a constant diameter of 25.4 mm. the efficiency with m2 as
mass flow rate can be seen highly varying. This is due to the fact of varying insolation
from the sun at the time of experiment. Thought the average efficiency for given mass
flow rates are 35.12, 46.68 and 45.03 % respectively. Both mi and m3 show a constant
behavior throughout, consisting of minor crusts and troughs.
53
31.75mm
The given figure depicts the variation in overall efficiency with respect to three
mass flow rates (m1, m2 and m3) for a constant diameter of 31.75 mm. Efficiency plot
with flow rate of .6 (m3) starts at the highest of 52 % and gradually decreases throughout.
Here m1 can be seen to be constant throughout after achieving 58.45 % efficiency.
Initially lowest efficiency was shown by m2 which reached maxima of 62% before
gradually decreasing and settling at 40.69%. Thought the average efficiency for given
mass flow rates are 49.36, 47.8 and 47.52 % respectively.
54
55
Chapter 5
5. Conclusions and Future Scope
5.1 Conclusion
The close type solar parabolic trough collector system is used for generation of power as
the system is capable of producing high temperature. This system is also employed for
water heating, process steam application and air heating as well. In this present study a
close type parabolic trough collector with stainless steel reflecting surface is used for the
performance analysis is used. During the experimental investigation receiver rubes of
three different diameters and three different mass flow rate are used. In the present study
various parameters such as inlet temperature, outlet temperature, ambient temperature,
solar intensity etc. were measured. Performance of the collector is calculated on the basis
of the recorded parameters.
The following are the conclusions of the present study.

i.)
The performance of the concentrating collector with Copper receiver tube

having diameter 31.75mm is 2.49% higher than the Copper receiver tube
having diameter 25.4mm when the mass flow rate is 0.60 kg/min. Also the
performance of the concentrating collector with Copper tube of 31.75mm
diameter is 2.02% less than the Copper tube of 19.05mm diameter at the same
mass flow rate.
ii.)

diameter is 11.6% higher than the Copper tube of 19.05mm diameter at the
same mass flow rate.
iii.)

56
diameter is 12.35% higher than the Copper tube of 19.05mm diameter at the
same mass flow rate
iv.)

having diameter 31.75mm when mass flow rate is 0.200kg/min efficiency is
1.56% higher than mass flow rate is 0.400kg/min. also the performance of the
concentrating collector mass flow rate 0.200kg/min efficiency is 1.8% higher
than 0.600kg/min mass flow rate at same diameter
v.)

11.56% higher than mass flow rate is 0.200kg/min. also the performance of
the concentrating collector mass flow rate 0.400kg/min efficiency is 1.65%
higher than 0.600kg/min mass flow rate at same diameter
vi.)

7.32% higher than mass flow rate is 0.200kg/min. also the performance of the
concentrating collector mass flow rate 0.600kg/min efficiency is 8.13% higher
than 0.400kg/min mass flow rate at same diameter
5.2 Future scope
i.)
There is a lot of future investigation that can be carried out which are as
follows:
Performance analysis can be performed on the fabricated system with a
different type of reflecting surface.
ii.)
Receiver tubes having outer glass coating with and without vacuum can be
used for the evaluation purposes.
iii.)
Different absorber coating materials can be tested to see their effects on the
performance of the system.
iv.)
Receiver tubes with centrally placed inserts of different shapes can also be
tested with the system to see their effects on the performance.
57
58
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60

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Acknowledgement

(Signature of External Examiner)

Basics of Solar Thermal Collection / Concentrating Solar Power .................. 2

Solar Energy in India............................................................................................. 3

Solar spectrum and solar radiation ........................................................................ 3

Solar Spectrum ............................................................................................... 3

Direct and Diffuse solar radiation .................................................................. 4

Parabolic Trough Collector ................................................................................... 4

Geometry of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector .................................................... 7

Optical Performance for PTSC ............................................................................. 9

Incidence Angle Modifier .............................................................................. 9

End Effect Correction .................................................................................... 9

Optical Efficiency of the PTSC ................................................................... 10

Thermal Performance and Losses of PTSC ........................................................ 11

Overall Heat Loss Coefficient (UL) ............................................................ 11

Heat Transfer to Fluid .................................................................................. 12

Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient and Factors ............................................ 13

Thermal Efficiency of a PTSC ..................................................................... 14

Aim of the Work ................................................................................................. 15

Literature Review .................................................................................................. 17

Material and method .................................................................................................. 26

Important considerations for designing a parabolic trough ......................... 26

Rim angle .................................................................................................... 26

Receiver diameter ........................................................................................ 27

Reflector support structures..................................................................... 27

Structural design requirements ............................................................... 28

Wind load on reflector support structure ..................................................... 28

Material study ..................................................................................................... 29

Mirror materials ........................................................................................... 30

Glass cover .................................................................................................. 30

Design of parabolic reflector .............................................................................. 30

Drawing of PTC .................................................................................................. 32

System design ..................................................................................................... 33

Parabolic reflector ....................................................................................... 33

Focal point fixing ........................................................................................ 34

Supporting structure .................................................................................... 35

Parabolic trough support structure .............................................................. 36

Design analysis ................................................................................................... 37

Thermal analysis ................................................................................................. 38

Results and discussions ............................................................................................. 40

Problem formulation ........................................................................................... 40

Experimental results ........................................................................................... 41

Receiver pipe diameter 19.05mm with 200ml/min ..................................... 41

Receiver pipe diameter 19.05mm with 400ml/min ..................................... 42

Receiver pipe diameter 19.05mm with 600ml/min ..................................... 43

Receiver pipe diameter 25.4mm with 200ml/min ....................................... 44

Receiver pipe diameter 25.4mm with 400ml/min ....................................... 45

Receiver pipe diameter 25.4mm with 600ml/min ....................................... 46

Receiver pipe diameter 31.75mm with 200ml/min ..................................... 47

Receiver pipe diameter 31.75mm with 400ml/min...................................... 48

Receiver pipe diameter 31.75mm with 600ml/min...................................... 50

Variation of efficiency with time ...................................................................... 51

Varying diameters of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.200 kg/min ....... 51

Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.400 kg/min ......... 51

Varying diameter of Cu tube when water is flowing at 0.600 kg/min ......... 52

Figure 4:6: Graph of Solar Radiation vs. Time ................................................................. 44

1.1 Basics of Solar Thermal Collection / Concentrating

Dishes: parabolic dish shaped reflectors perfectly concentrate sunlight in two

Towers: central receivers use numerous heliostats to concentrate sunlight onto a

1.2 Solar Energy in India

1.3 Solar spectrum and solar radiation

Suns radiation is a combination of different layers which absorb and emit

1.3.2 Direct and Diffuse solar radiation