LAUSR

Abstract Parabolic trough collector stands out as the most proven and widely adopted technology for concentrating solar power. A simple mathematical model based on dividing the trough’s aperture and the surface of the absorber into small segments is developed herein. The model is used to investigate the influence of the design and operational parameters on the distribution of the concentrated solar flux over. In this study, eight absorbers with different geometries are considered and the effect of the rim angle, absorber’s geometry, and operational mode on the distribution of the concentrated solar flux over their surfaces have been addressed. For all absorbers, it has been found that increasing the rim angle results in reducing the intensity of the concentrated solar flux with increase in its coverage area. The distribution of the concentrated solar flux over the surface of the parabolic shaped absorber (ABS.6) is found to be uniform over the portion of the surface located between its two rims. It has also been demonstrated that the operation under free absorber mode can help in redistributing the concentrated solar flux over the absorber surface resulting in a more uniform distribution compared to that over the surface of the fixed absorber. From the combined geometries of the investigated absorbers two optimal shapes are obtained and are found to perform much better than the circular absorber ABS.1.