Convection heat losses in a parabolic trough solar collector's absorber tube as a function of wind speed: a CFD analysis

Abstract

The receiver tube is an essential component of parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) technology. Using variable wind speed, the current work constructs a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model of a PTSC receiver tube. The absorber tube's outer surface is expected to be 500k. This study is to assess the impact of wind speed on receiver tube convection heat losses. Wind speeds ranged from 0 to 12 m/s. Wind speeds below 6 m/s have been proven to have significant effects on receiver convection heat losses. However, the speed effect reduces at ranges greater than 6 m/s. The results of this investigation demonstrate the impact of wind speed ranges on convection heat losses in the PTSC receiver tube.