IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v211y2020ics0360544220321538.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Thermal-hydraulic and thermodynamic performance of parabolic trough solar receiver partially filled with gradient metal foam

Author

Listed:
  • Peng, Hao
  • Li, Meilin
  • Liang, Xingang

Abstract

With the aim to improve overall thermal-hydraulic and thermodynamic performance of parabolic trough solar receiver (PTR), a new configuration with partial insertion of gradient metal foam (GMF) is proposed. The effects of GMF with pore density gradient or porosity gradient on turbulent forced convection heat transfer, flow resistance, entropy generation rate and exergetic efficiency of PTR tube are numerically analyzed. The distribution of non-uniform heat flux on receiver tube wall is calculated by Monte Carlo Ray-Trace Method, and the local thermal non-equilibrium model is used, which considers the temperature difference between metal skeleton and fluid. The numerical method is validated by experimental data. The results show that GMF enhances the heat transfer of PTR tube, with Nusselt number being increased by 43.7%–812.6%; brings the increase of flow resistance, with friction factor being 4.2 to 16.7 times of empty tube; improves the overall thermal-hydraulic performance with performance evaluation criteria ranging from 1.5–3.6. The GMF causes maximum reduction of total entropy generation rate and maximum enhancement of exergetic efficiency to be 92.6% and 24.4%, respectively. The PTR tube partially filled with GMF can obtain higher thermal-hydraulic and thermodynamic performance than that with uniform metal foam.

Suggested Citation

  • 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).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:211:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220321538
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.119046
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220321538
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2020.119046?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. Zheng, Zhang-Jing & Li, Ming-Jia & He, Ya-Ling, 2017. "Thermal analysis of solar central receiver tube with porous inserts and non-uniform heat flux," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P2), pages 1152-1161.
    2. Nemś, Magdalena & Kasperski, Jacek, 2016. "Experimental investigation of concentrated solar air-heater with internal multiple-fin array," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 722-730.
    3. Chang, Chun & Sciacovelli, Adriano & Wu, Zhiyong & Li, Xin & Li, Yongliang & Zhao, Mingzhi & Deng, Jie & Wang, Zhifeng & Ding, Yulong, 2018. "Enhanced heat transfer in a parabolic trough solar receiver by inserting rods and using molten salt as heat transfer fluid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 337-350.
    4. Valizade, M. & Heyhat, M.M. & Maerefat, M., 2020. "Experimental study of the thermal behavior of direct absorption parabolic trough collector by applying copper metal foam as volumetric solar absorption," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 261-269.
    5. Fernández-García, A. & Zarza, E. & Valenzuela, L. & Pérez, M., 2010. "Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(7), pages 1695-1721, September.
    6. 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.
    7. Kalogirou, Soteris A., 2012. "A detailed thermal model of a parabolic trough collector receiver," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 298-306.
    8. Kaloudis, E. & Papanicolaou, E. & Belessiotis, V., 2016. "Numerical simulations of a parabolic trough solar collector with nanofluid using a two-phase model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 218-229.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. Heyhat, M.M. & Valizade, M. & Abdolahzade, Sh. & Maerefat, M., 2020. "Thermal efficiency enhancement of direct absorption parabolic trough solar collector (DAPTSC) by using nanofluid and metal foam," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    12. Bozorg, Mehdi Vahabzadeh & Hossein Doranehgard, Mohammad & Hong, Kun & Xiong, Qingang, 2020. "CFD study of heat transfer and fluid flow in a parabolic trough solar receiver with internal annular porous structure and synthetic oil–Al2O3 nanofluid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 2598-2614.
    13. Peng, Hao & Guo, Wenhua & Li, Meilin, 2020. "Thermal-hydraulic and thermodynamic performances of liquid metal based nanofluid in parabolic trough solar receiver tube," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    14. 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.
    15. 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.
    16. 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.
    17. 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.
    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. Ali A. Hmad & Nihad Dukhan, 2021. "Cooling Design for PEM Fuel-Cell Stacks Employing Air and Metal Foam: Simulation and Experiment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, May.
    2. Halimi, Mohammed & El Amrani, Aumeur & Messaoudi, Choukri, 2021. "New experimental investigation of the circumferential temperature uniformity for a PTC absorber," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    3. Maytorena, V.M. & Hinojosa, J.F., 2023. "Computational analysis of passive strategies to reduce thermal stresses in vertical tubular solar receivers for safety direct steam generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 605-616.
    4. 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.
    5. Wu, Ze & Li, Xiao-Lei & Chen, Xue & Xia, Xin-Lin, 2024. "Performance evaluation of a partially-filled porous foam cylindrical tubular receiver realizing Ni foam material reduction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).

    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. 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).
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Teerapath Limboonruang & Muyiwa Oyinlola & Dani Harmanto & Pracha Bunyawanichakul & Nittalin Phunapai, 2023. "Optimizing Solar Parabolic Trough Receivers with External Fins: An Experimental Study on Enhancing Heat Transfer and Thermal Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. Jing-hu, Gong & Yong, Li & Jun, Wang & Lund, Peter, 2023. "Performance optimization of larger-aperture parabolic trough concentrator solar power station using multi-stage heating technology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    13. 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.
    14. Norouzi, Amir Mohammad & Siavashi, Majid & Ahmadi, Rouhollah & Tahmasbi, Milad, 2021. "Experimental study of a parabolic trough solar collector with rotating absorber tube," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 734-749.
    15. Shaaban, S., 2021. "Enhancement of the solar trough collector efficiency by optimizing the reflecting mirror profile," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 40-49.
    16. Bortolato, Matteo & Dugaria, Simone & Del Col, Davide, 2016. "Experimental study of a parabolic trough solar collector with flat bar-and-plate absorber during direct steam generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(P1), pages 1039-1050.
    17. 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.
    18. 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.
    19. Alamdari, Pedram & Khatamifar, Mehdi & Lin, Wenxian, 2024. "Heat loss analysis review: Parabolic trough and linear Fresnel collectors," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    20. Ou, Gen & Liu, Peng & Liu, Zhichun & Liu, Wei, 2022. "Performance analyses and heat transfer optimization of parabolic trough receiver with a novel single conical strip insert," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 335-350.

    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:energy:v:211:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220321538. 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.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    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.