Solar Collector CFD Simulation considering Parabolic Through Reflector, ANSYS Fluent

Description

Description

In this project, we simulate a Parabolic Through reflector using ANSYS Fluent software. A parabolic trough reflector is a type of solar energy collector. It consists of a long parabolic-shaped mirror that focuses sunlight onto a receiver tube positioned at the focal line of the parabola. This concentration of solar energy heats a fluid inside the tube, which can then be used to generate steam and produce electricity via a turbine.
The geometry is designed using Spaceclaim software. A part of system with 3m longitude is considered. Then, it is meshed in ANSYS Meshing software. The total number of Polyhedral elements is 1,330,520.

Methodology

In order to simulate the problem, the Discrete Ordinates (DO) radiation model is employed along with Laminar model. The laboratory is located in Egypt, so the longitude, latitude and time zone is set based on real data.

Results

The water flows in the tube with 25°C and the ambient temperature is also the same. Thus, it is just the radiation that can help to increase water temperature. Note that, the velocity magnitude of water is 0.1m/s. In this specific time, the solar irradiation is 968 W/m2. The software reports the outlet temperature as 26.45°C which means about 1.5 degree increment in temperature. The contours clearly show how the parabolic plates are reflecting the most of irradiation through the tube. Moreover, the plate surface temperature is 36°C.