Speaker
Mr
Khaled Mohamad
(PhD student)
Description
The solar parabolic trough collectors (PTC) are the earliest and most widely accepted Solar concentration style. It is the most mature technology, has been intensively researched and its cost gradually reduced. In addition, PTC have been put into commercial operations in many countries. The research in this technology is moving towards increasing the efficiency of the system, specifically raising the temperature of the working fluids by minimizing the energy losses. The efficiency of the whole system depends on the most complex part of it, which is the receiver unit. This work aims to design the receiver unit in a way that minimizes the energy losses and raises the temperature of the working fluid. The receiver unit incorporates the application of different optically active layers in tandem with the application of a cavity absorber. The cavity geometry will enable efficient capturing of incoming concentrated solar radiation via multiple internal reflection. This study entails numerical heat analysis, which is used to simulate the temperature profile of the receiver unit and study the optical properties of different designs. In addition, this idea has been tested experimentally through a prototype parabolic solar trough. The results are promising from both the experimental and numerical side.
Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> award (Yes / No)?
yes
Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution
Name: Dr. Philippe Ferrer
email: Philippe.Ferrer@wits.ac.za
Institution: Witwatersrand University.
Level for award<br> (Hons, MSc, <br> PhD, N/A)?
PhD
Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?
No
Primary author
Mr
Khaled Mohamad
(PhD student)
Co-author
Dr
Philippe Ferrer
(Doctor (Main Supervisor))
Peer reviewing
Paper
Paper files:
