Solar concentrating

collectors
Lecture 8
 Solar concentrating collectors
• Solar radiation falling on a large surface is concentrated
to a smaller area of absorber plate or receiver
• Temperature increased up to500°C
• Concentration is achieved by an optical system either
from reflecting mirrors or from refracting lenses
• Used for medium or high temperature energy
conversion
• For higher collection efficiency tracking arrangements
are used to concentrate beam radiation on absorber
plate
 Contd…..
• Concentrator
– Optical subsystem that projects solar radiation on
to the absorber
• Receiver
• The sub system that includes absorber its cover and
accessories
• Aperature(W)
– Opening of the concentrator through which solar
radiation passes
 Concentration ratio
• Acceptance angle(2ϴa)
– Angle across which beam radiation may deviate
from the normal to the aperture plane and then
reach the absorber
• Concentration ratio(CR)
– Ratio of the effective area of the aperture to the
surface area of the absorber .
– CR value changes from 1 (for flat plate collector)
to a thousand (for parabolic dish collector)
 Effect of design parameters on
performance
• 1. Heat transport system
– Water and air are used as heat transfer medium
– Heat absorbed from absorber plate by this medium
• 2.Selective surfaces
– Absorber plate surface providing high absorptivity for
incoming and low emissivity for outgoing radiations
– Selective surface needs to have a high absorptivity for
wave lengths shorter than 4μm and low emissivity for
longer wavelength longer than 4μm
 Design parameters Contd…..
– Surface made of thin black metallic oxide coated on a
bright metal base
– Black chrome (Cr-Cr2O3) coating
– Absorptivity 0.95, thermal emissivity 0.1
• 3. Number of covers
– To minimize convection and radiation loss, transparent
glass cover is used
– Glass sheet absorbs heat radiation emitted by hot
absorber plate
– No of glass sheets reduces the heat loss coefficient
– With two glass cover reduces heat loss coefficient to
4W/m2.K
 Design parameters Contd….
• 4. Spacing
– Spacing between absorber plate and cover or
between two covers influence the performance
– Spacing suggested is 4 to 8cm
 Types of concentrating collectors
• Plane receiver with plane collectors
• Compound parabolic collector with plane receiver
• Cylindrical parabolic collector
• Collector with a fixed circular concentrator and
moving receiver
• Frensel lens collector
• Paraboloid dish collector
• Central receiver with heliostat
Plane receiver with plane collectors

• Four adjustable
reflectors with single
collector
• CR varies from 1-4
• Non imaging
temperature 140°C
Compound parabolic collector with
plane receiver
• Reflectors are curved
segments that are parts
of two parabolas
• CR varies from 3 -10
• Acceptance angle 11.5°
• Tracking adjustment
required
Cylindrical parabolic collector

• Parabolic cross section in

which the image is formed
on the focus of the parabola
• Basic parts
i)An absorber tube with a
selective coating located at
the focal axis through which
the liquid to be heated flows
ii)Parabolic concentrator
iii) A concentric transparent
cover
• CR 10-30
• Aperture area 1-6 m2
 Collector with a fixed circular
concentrator and moving receiver
• Consists of an array of
long , narrow, flat
mirror strips fixed over
a cylindrical surface
• Mirror strips forms a
narrow line image that
follows a circular path
as sun moves across the
sky
Frensel lens collector
• Made of an acrylic plastic
sheet, flat on one side
with fine longitudinal
grooves on the other
• The angles of groves are
designed to bring
radiation to a line focus
• CR 10-80
• Temperature 150°C to
400°C
Parabolic dish collector
• Used for high temp
1000°C and CR (100) to
few thousands
• Point focusing collector
Central receiver tower with a field of
heliostats
• To collect large amount of
heat energy at one point
• Solar radiation is reflected
from a field of heliostats
to a centrally located
receiver on a tower
• Water through receiver
absorbs heat to produce
steam to generate
electricity
 References
• G. D. Rai; “ Non-conventional Energy Sources”; Publisher: Khanna Publishers;
Year: 2010; Edition: 1; ISBN No. 81-7409-073-8
• www.globalresourceoptions.com
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
• http://www.volker-quaschning.de/articles/fundamentals4/index_e.html
• http://www.ieiglobal.org/ESDVol1No1/solarwater.pdf
• http://www.solarserver.de/solarmagazin/artikeljuni2002-e.html
• http://www.teri.res.in/teriin/opet/reports/solarthermal.pdf