Design optimization, fabrication, and performance evaluation of solar parabolic trough collector for domestic applications
Muhammad Faheem, Jizhan Liu, M. Waqar Akram, Muhammad Usman Khan, Piyaphong Yongphet, Muhammad Tayyab, Muhammad Awais
Abstract
In this paper, a brief study of small scale solar parabolic trough collector design, simulation, fabrication, and analyzed for heating water as a domestic purpose in the backward regions of developing countries are studied. During the designing phase, the solar parabolic trough collector aperture area was set as 1.5 m2 with 1 m wide and 1.5 m length. The design was done by using red laser light (631 nm) and stainless steel ruler template technique, then verified this design template with parabolic equation. After that, optimize the proposed design through Matlab simulation. Then fabricated the proposed design with different manufacturing techniques. Different experiments were conducted to analyze and evaluate the overall thermal performance of 1.5 m2 solar parabolic trough collector by placing it in two orientations i.e. East-West and North-South with respect to the sun tracking. The data were recorded and analyzed to check the overall efficiency and thermal performance of the system. The experimental results evaluated that efficiency and thermal performance of the solar parabolic trough collector was more when the focal line of the designed trough collector was placed in the East-West (61.66%) direction as compared to North-South direction (48.28%). Moreover, the designed collector raised the temperature of 100 liter water up-to 60°C within 5 hours of sunshine which is enough for four to five persons for bathing and laundry purposes in the winter season of backward and rural areas where there is a shortage of electricity and fossil fuels for domestic applications.