Numerical Study of the Parabolic Dish Solar Collector Performance Evaluation Using Heat Exchanger Receiver

Abstract

The solar water heater is one of the most important applications used to invest in renewable energy, specifically solar energy, where hot water can be used for air conditioning, household uses, or industrial purposes. In this work, a new system was established for the production of hot water and steam using solar concentrators of the solar dish type, made of aluminum, having a (175 cm) diameter and a deepness of (15 cm) with a heat exchanger (radiator) as a receiver which is a new and innovative way of working. The front side of the dish was covered with strips of nickel metal reflecting sunlight to focus the solar radiation on a tank fixed at the center of the focus of the rays reflected from the dish. A heat exchanger (radiator) was used as a tank with the following dimensions (50cm×40cm×5cm) and a capacity of (4 liters). Numerical calculations were carried out using (Solidworks) and (Ansys workbench) to design and analyze this system. The simulated data revealed that the focus's placement and the spacing of the dishes are governed by the dish's size and the degree of inclination. The concentration ratio increases by (53%) when the dish diameter increases. The use of a radiator heat exchanger gives the largest use of solar-reflected radiation that is reflected from the collector because of the increased surface area exposed to solar radiation due to the presence of fins. The highest thermal efficiency (72.16%) was obtained at 355 K and a mass flow rate of 0.32 kg/sec.