TITLE:
Modeling of a Parabolic Cylindrical Solar Concentrator
AUTHORS:
Bati Ernest Boya Bi, Kpeusseu Angeline Kouambla Epse Yeo, Ekoun Paul Magloire Koffi, Prosper Gbaha
KEYWORDS:
Modeling, Simulation, Parabolic Trough Concentrator, Heat Transfer Fluid, Temperature
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Applied Sciences,
Vol.15 No.1,
January
16,
2025
ABSTRACT: This work aims at the mathematical modeling of a parabolic trough concentrator, the numerical resolution of the resulting equation, as well as the simulation of the heat transfer fluid heating process. To do this, a thermal balance was established for the heat transfer fluid, the absorber and the glass. This allowed us to establish an equation system whose resolution was done by the finite difference method. Then, a computer program was developed to simulate the temperatures of the heat transfer fluid, the absorber tube and the glass as a function of time and space. The numerical resolution made it possible to obtain the temperatures of the heat transfer fluid, the absorber and the glass. The simulation of the fluid heating process was done in one-hour time steps, from six in the morning to six in the afternoon. The results obtained show that the temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the sensor is very significant. These results obtained, regarding the variation of the temperatures of the heat transfer fluid, the absorber and the glass, as well as the powers and efficiency of the parabolic trough concentrator and various factors, allow for the improvement of the performances of our prototype.