IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v224y2018icp86-102.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investigation of a star flow insert in a parabolic trough solar collector

Author

Listed:
  • Bellos, Evangelos
  • Tzivanidis, Christos

Abstract

The use of flow inserts is a common passive technique for enhancing the thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors. The objective of this work is to investigate a novel insert with a star shape. The shape of this insert is optimized by examining different combinations of its geometric characteristics. Totally 16 different cases are studied with the fin length to be varied from 15 mm to 30 mm and the fin thickness from 2 mm to 5 mm. The evaluation criteria of the examined cases are the thermal efficiency, the exergy efficiency and the overall efficiency of the solar collector. The exergy efficiency and the overall efficiency are suitable criteria for evaluation the Nusselt number increase with the simultaneous friction factor increase. The collector is examined for inlet temperatures between 400 K and 650 K with a volumetric flow rate equal to 150 L/min. According to the final results, the thermal efficiency, the exergy efficiency and the overall efficiency are increased for all the examined flow inserts. The thermal efficiency enhancement is higher with the inlet temperature increase and it can reach up to 1%. Moreover, it is found that greater dimensions of the insert lead to higher performance enhancements. The pressure drop is found to increases many times with the use of inserts but the pumping work value is extremely low in all the cases. The analysis is conducted with SolidWorks Simulation Studio with a validated model.

Suggested Citation

  • Bellos, Evangelos & Tzivanidis, Christos, 2018. "Investigation of a star flow insert in a parabolic trough solar collector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 86-102.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:224:y:2018:i:c:p:86-102
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.04.099
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918306573
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.04.099?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Qiu, Yu & He, Ya-Ling & Wu, Ming & Zheng, Zhang-Jing, 2016. "A comprehensive model for optical and thermal characterization of a linear Fresnel solar reflector with a trapezoidal cavity receiver," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 129-144.
    2. Wang, P. & Liu, D.Y. & Xu, C., 2013. "Numerical study of heat transfer enhancement in the receiver tube of direct steam generation with parabolic trough by inserting metal foams," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 449-460.
    3. Amit K. Bhakta & Nitesh K. Panday & Shailendra N. Singh, 2018. "Performance Study of a Cylindrical Parabolic Concentrating Solar Water Heater with Nail Type Twisted Tape Inserts in the Copper Absorber Tube," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Mwesigye, Aggrey & Huan, Zhongjie & Meyer, Josua P., 2015. "Thermodynamic optimisation of the performance of a parabolic trough receiver using synthetic oil–Al2O3 nanofluid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 398-412.
    5. Mwesigye, Aggrey & Bello-Ochende, Tunde & Meyer, Josua P., 2014. "Heat transfer and thermodynamic performance of a parabolic trough receiver with centrally placed perforated plate inserts," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 989-1003.
    6. Jaramillo, O.A. & Borunda, Mónica & Velazquez-Lucho, K.M. & Robles, M., 2016. "Parabolic trough solar collector for low enthalpy processes: An analysis of the efficiency enhancement by using twisted tape inserts," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 125-141.
    7. Zhu, Xiaowei & Zhu, Lei & Zhao, Jingquan, 2017. "Wavy-tape insert designed for managing highly concentrated solar energy on absorber tube of parabolic trough receiver," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1146-1155.
    8. Fuqiang, Wang & Zhexiang, Tang & Xiangtao, Gong & Jianyu, Tan & Huaizhi, Han & Bingxi, Li, 2016. "Heat transfer performance enhancement and thermal strain restrain of tube receiver for parabolic trough solar collector by using asymmetric outward convex corrugated tube," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 275-292.
    9. Rovira, Antonio & Barbero, Rubén & Montes, María José & Abbas, Rubén & Varela, Fernando, 2016. "Analysis and comparison of Integrated Solar Combined Cycles using parabolic troughs and linear Fresnel reflectors as concentrating systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 990-1000.
    10. Sandeep, H.M. & Arunachala, U.C., 2017. "Solar parabolic trough collectors: A review on heat transfer augmentation techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 1218-1231.
    11. Bitam, El Wardi & Demagh, Yassine & Hachicha, Ahmed A. & Benmoussa, Hocine & Kabar, Yassine, 2018. "Numerical investigation of a novel sinusoidal tube receiver for parabolic trough technology," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 494-510.
    12. Reddy, K.S. & Ravi Kumar, K. & Ajay, C.S., 2015. "Experimental investigation of porous disc enhanced receiver for solar parabolic trough collector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 308-319.
    13. Leong, K.Y. & Ong, Hwai Chyuan & Amer, N.H. & Norazrina, M.J. & Risby, M.S. & Ku Ahmad, K.Z., 2016. "An overview on current application of nanofluids in solar thermal collector and its challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1092-1105.
    14. Bellos, Evangelos & Tzivanidis, Christos & Tsimpoukis, Dimitrios, 2017. "Multi-criteria evaluation of parabolic trough collector with internally finned absorbers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 540-561.
    15. Jamal-Abad, Milad Tajik & Saedodin, Seyfollah & Aminy, Mohammad, 2017. "Experimental investigation on a solar parabolic trough collector for absorber tube filled with porous media," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 156-163.
    16. Abbas, R. & Martínez-Val, J.M., 2017. "A comprehensive optical characterization of linear Fresnel collectors by means of an analytic study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1136-1151.
    17. Bellos, E. & Tzivanidis, C. & Antonopoulos, K.A. & Gkinis, G., 2016. "Thermal enhancement of solar parabolic trough collectors by using nanofluids and converging-diverging absorber tube," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 213-222.
    18. Fuqiang, Wang & Ziming, Cheng & Jianyu, Tan & Yuan, Yuan & Yong, Shuai & Linhua, Liu, 2017. "Progress in concentrated solar power technology with parabolic trough collector system: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 1314-1328.
    19. Sait, Hani H. & Martinez-Val, Jose M. & Abbas, Ruben & Munoz-Anton, Javier, 2015. "Fresnel-based modular solar fields for performance/cost optimization in solar thermal power plants: A comparison with parabolic trough collectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 175-189.
    20. Song, Xingwang & Dong, Guobo & Gao, Fangyuan & Diao, Xungang & Zheng, Liqing & Zhou, Fuyun, 2014. "A numerical study of parabolic trough receiver with nonuniform heat flux and helical screw-tape inserts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 771-782.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dimitrios N. Korres & Evangelos Bellos & Christos Tzivanidis, 2022. "Integration of a Linear Cavity Receiver in an Asymmetric Compound Parabolic Collector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-19, November.
    2. Xiao, Hui & Liu, Peng & Liu, Zhichun & Liu, Wei, 2021. "Performance analyses in parabolic trough collectors by inserting novel inclined curved-twisted baffles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(P2), pages 14-27.
    3. Varun, K. & Arunachala, U.C. & Elton, D.N., 2020. "Trade-off between wire matrix and twisted tape: SOLTRACE® based indoor study of parabolic trough collector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 478-492.
    4. Maadi, Seyed Reza & Navegi, Ali & Solomin, Evgeny & Ahn, Ho Seon & Wongwises, Somchai & Mahian, Omid, 2021. "Performance improvement of a photovoltaic-thermal system using a wavy-strip insert with and without nanofluid," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    5. Vishal Dabra & Avadhesh Yadav, 2022. "To optimize the flow distribution in concentric glass tube solar air collector with various configuration of manifolds," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(9), pages 10902-10923, September.
    6. Zaharil, H.A. & Hasanuzzaman, M., 2020. "Modelling and performance analysis of parabolic trough solar concentrator for different heat transfer fluids under Malaysian condition," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 22-41.
    7. Abubakr, Mohamed & Amein, Hamza & Akoush, Bassem M. & El-Bakry, M. Medhat & Hassan, Muhammed A., 2020. "An intuitive framework for optimizing energetic and exergetic performances of parabolic trough solar collectors operating with nanofluids," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 130-149.
    8. Dimitrios N. Korres & Theodoros Papingiotis & Irene Koronaki & Christos Tzivanidis, 2023. "Thermal and Optical Analyses of a Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) Collector with Asymmetric Reflector: Numerical Modeling and Validation with Experimental Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    9. Madadi Avargani, Vahid & Zendehboudi, Sohrab & Zamani, Mohammad Amin, 2023. "Performance evaluation of various nano heat transfer fluids in charging/discharging processes of an indirect solar air heating system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    10. Chakraborty, Oveepsa, 2023. "Influence of spinning flower structure inserts in the thermal performance of LS-2 model of parabolic trough collector with ternary hybrid nanofluid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 215-228.
    11. Li, Xueling & Chang, Huawei & Duan, Chen & Zheng, Yao & Shu, Shuiming, 2019. "Thermal performance analysis of a novel linear cavity receiver for parabolic trough solar collectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 431-439.
    12. Chen, Xinge & Liang, Hao & Wu, Gang & Feng, Chaoqing & Tao, Tao & Ji, Yaning & Ma, Qianlei & Tong, Yuxin, 2023. "Coupled heat and humidity control system of narrow-trough solar collector and solid desiccant in Chinese solar greenhouse: Analysis of optical / thermal characteristics and experimental study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    13. Gong, Jing-hu & Wang, Jun & Lund, Peter D. & Zhao, Dan-dan & Xu, Jing-wen & Jin, Yi-hao, 2021. "Comparative study of heat transfer enhancement using different fins in semi-circular absorber tube for large-aperture trough solar concentrator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 1229-1241.
    14. Mohamed Allam & Mohamed Tawfik & Maher Bekheit & Emad El-Negiry, 2022. "Experimental Investigation on Performance Enhancement of Parabolic Trough Concentrator with Helical Rotating Shaft Insert," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-25, November.
    15. Abu-Hamdeh, Nidal H. & Bantan, Rashad A.R. & Khoshvaght-Aliabadi, Morteza & Alimoradi, Ashkan, 2020. "Effects of ribs on thermal performance of curved absorber tube used in cylindrical solar collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 1260-1275.
    16. Moradi, Hamid & Mirjalily, Seyed Ali Agha & Oloomi, Seyed Amir Abbas & Karimi, Hajir, 2022. "Performance evaluation of a solar air heating system integrated with a phase change materials energy storage tank for efficient thermal energy storage and management," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 974-986.
    17. El-Bakry, M. Medhat & Kassem, Mahmoud A. & Hassan, Muhammed A., 2021. "Passive performance enhancement of parabolic trough solar concentrators using internal radiation heat shields," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(P1), pages 52-66.
    18. Liu, Shang & Huang, Congliang & Luo, Xiao & Guo, Chuwen, 2019. "Performance optimization of bi-layer solar steam generation system through tuning porosity of bottom layer," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(C), pages 504-513.
    19. Chinnasamy Subramaniyan & Jothirathinam Subramani & Balasubramanian Kalidasan & Natarajan Anbuselvan & Thangaraj Yuvaraj & Natarajan Prabaharan & Tomonobu Senjyu, 2021. "Investigation on the Optical Design and Performance of a Single-Axis-Tracking Solar Parabolic trough Collector with a Secondary Reflector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    20. Sheikholeslami, M. & Said, Zafar & Jafaryar, M., 2022. "Hydrothermal analysis for a parabolic solar unit with wavy absorber pipe and nanofluid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 922-932.
    21. Madadi Avargani, Vahid & Norton, Brian & Rahimi, Amir, 2021. "An open-aperture partially-evacuated receiver for more uniform reflected solar flux in circular-trough reflectors: Comparative performance in air heating applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 11-24.
    22. Yang, S. & Ordonez, J.C., 2019. "3D thermal-hydraulic analysis of a symmetric wavy parabolic trough absorber pipe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    23. Tang, X.Y. & Yang, W.W. & Yang, Y. & Jiao, Y.H. & Zhang, T., 2021. "A design method for optimizing the secondary reflector of a parabolic trough solar concentrator to achieve uniform heat flux distribution," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    24. Oveepsa Chakraborty & Sujit Roy & Biplab K. Debnath & Sushant Negi & Marc A. Rosen & Sadegh Safari & Mamdouh El Haj Assad & Rajat Gupta & Biplab Das, 2024. "Energy, exergy, environment and techno-economic analysis of parabolic trough collector: A comprehensive review," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(2), pages 1118-1181, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bellos, Evangelos & Tzivanidis, Christos & Tsimpoukis, Dimitrios, 2018. "Enhancing the performance of parabolic trough collectors using nanofluids and turbulators," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 358-375.
    2. Evangelos Bellos & Christos Tzivanidis, 2018. "Enhancing the Performance of Evacuated and Non-Evacuated Parabolic Trough Collectors Using Twisted Tape Inserts, Perforated Plate Inserts and Internally Finned Absorber," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-28, May.
    3. Yılmaz, İbrahim Halil & Mwesigye, Aggrey, 2018. "Modeling, simulation and performance analysis of parabolic trough solar collectors: A comprehensive review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 135-174.
    4. Manikandan, G.K. & Iniyan, S. & Goic, Ranko, 2019. "Enhancing the optical and thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough collector – A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1524-1540.
    5. Hachicha, Ahmed Amine & Yousef, Bashria A.A. & Said, Zafar & Rodríguez, Ivette, 2019. "A review study on the modeling of high-temperature solar thermal collector systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 280-298.
    6. Kumaresan, G. & Sudhakar, P. & Santosh, R. & Velraj, R., 2017. "Experimental and numerical studies of thermal performance enhancement in the receiver part of solar parabolic trough collectors," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1363-1374.
    7. Ajbar, Wassila & Parrales, A. & Huicochea, A. & Hernández, J.A., 2022. "Different ways to improve parabolic trough solar collectors’ performance over the last four decades and their applications: A comprehensive review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    8. Bellos, Evangelos & Tzivanidis, Christos & Tsimpoukis, Dimitrios, 2017. "Multi-criteria evaluation of parabolic trough collector with internally finned absorbers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 540-561.
    9. Liu, Peng & Dong, Zhimin & Xiao, Hui & Liu, Zhichun & Liu, Wei, 2021. "Thermal-hydraulic performance analysis of a novel parabolic trough receiver with double tube for solar cascade heat collection," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    10. Mohammed, Hussein A. & Vuthaluru, Hari B. & Liu, Shaomin, 2022. "Thermohydraulic and thermodynamics performance of hybrid nanofluids based parabolic trough solar collector equipped with wavy promoters," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 401-426.
    11. Yang, S. & Ordonez, J.C., 2019. "3D thermal-hydraulic analysis of a symmetric wavy parabolic trough absorber pipe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    12. Zhu, Xiaowei & Zhu, Lei & Zhao, Jingquan, 2017. "Wavy-tape insert designed for managing highly concentrated solar energy on absorber tube of parabolic trough receiver," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1146-1155.
    13. Xiao, Hui & Liu, Peng & Liu, Zhichun & Liu, Wei, 2021. "Performance analyses in parabolic trough collectors by inserting novel inclined curved-twisted baffles," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(P2), pages 14-27.
    14. Tabish Alam & Nagesh Babu Balam & Kishor Sitaram Kulkarni & Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui & Nishant Raj Kapoor & Chandan Swaroop Meena & Ashok Kumar & Raffaello Cozzolino, 2021. "Performance Augmentation of the Flat Plate Solar Thermal Collector: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Kurşun, Burak, 2019. "Thermal performance assessment of internal longitudinal fins with sinusoidal lateral surfaces in parabolic trough receiver tubes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 816-827.
    16. Peng, Hao & Li, Meilin & Liang, Xingang, 2020. "Thermal-hydraulic and thermodynamic performance of parabolic trough solar receiver partially filled with gradient metal foam," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    17. Kaluba, V.S. & Mohamad, Khaled & Ferrer, P., 2020. "Experimental and simulated performance of hot mirror coatings in a parabolic trough receiver," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    18. Abu-Hamdeh, Nidal H. & Bantan, Rashad A.R. & Khoshvaght-Aliabadi, Morteza & Alimoradi, Ashkan, 2020. "Effects of ribs on thermal performance of curved absorber tube used in cylindrical solar collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 1260-1275.
    19. Gong, Jing-hu & Wang, Jun & Lund, Peter D. & Zhao, Dan-dan & Xu, Jing-wen & Jin, Yi-hao, 2021. "Comparative study of heat transfer enhancement using different fins in semi-circular absorber tube for large-aperture trough solar concentrator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 1229-1241.
    20. Mwesigye, Aggrey & Meyer, Josua P., 2017. "Optimal thermal and thermodynamic performance of a solar parabolic trough receiver with different nanofluids and at different concentration ratios," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 393-413.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:224:y:2018:i:c:p:86-102. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.