Volume 2: Innovative Solutions for Energy Transitions: Part I

Indoor Heat Loss and Outdoor Thermal Efficiency Testing and Analyses on the Parabolic Trough Solar Receivers with an Inner Radiation Shield Qiliang Wang, Honglun Yang, Shuai Zhong, Yihang Huang, Jing Li, Gang Pei

Abstract

Parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) harvest high temperature heat and are widely applied in solar thermal utilization. The key parts of the parabolic trough collectors are the solar receivers, the thermal performance of the solar receivers has significant impacts on the PTCs. However, the high temperature incurs considerable radiative heat loss of the solar receivers. A structural optimized solar receiver with an inner radiation shield was proposed for reducing the heat loss and improving the thermal performance. The indoor heat loss and the outdoor thermal efficiency testing were conducted in Electricity Engineering of China Academy to validate comprehensive thermal performance of the novel solar receivers. The experimental results show that the heat loss of novel solar receiver can be reduced by 28% at absorber temperature of 550 °C, and the thermal efficiency can be enhanced by 4.9 % at 350 °C inlet temperature.

Keywords Parabolic trough collector; PTC; Concentrated solar power; CSP; Radiation shield