Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68524 |
| _version_ | 1826197293954498560 |
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| author | Figueredo, Stacy L. (Stacy Lee), 1981- |
| author2 | Alexander H. Slocum. |
| author_facet | Alexander H. Slocum. Figueredo, Stacy L. (Stacy Lee), 1981- |
| author_sort | Figueredo, Stacy L. (Stacy Lee), 1981- |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:45:29Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/68524 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:45:29Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/685242019-04-10T13:13:49Z Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency Figueredo, Stacy L. (Stacy Lee), 1981- Alexander H. Slocum. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-200). Parabolic trough collectors are a low cost implementation of concentrated solar power technology that focuses incident sunlight onto a tube filled with a heat transfer fluid. The efficiency and cost of the parabolic trough collector designs is influenced by structural stiffness, choice of materials, assembly tolerances, mirror cleanliness and wear. Current performance estimates of solar trough optical field efficiencies are 54.2% [1]. The goal of this research is to identify general methods and specific design concepts for achieving increased collector efficiency. This thesis has investigated improvements in the design of a parabolic trough module by looking first at the overall structural concept of the collector to reduce complexity while maintaining structural stability under wind loading conditions. In the process of evaluating the feasibility of one such concept, a monolithic reflector panel with a mirror film front surface, details related to the mirror surface efficiency were investigated. At the panel-structure to mirror interface, surface roughness of the underlying structural backing was studied to understand performance effects on the mirror film surface that would make one backing material potentially more suitable than another would. In this case it was found that three materials tested: gel-coated fiberglass, rolled aluminum, and rolled steel were all similarly effective when compared to a more expensive mirrored aluminum backing material. When looking at the integration of the larger structural changes with the factors that affect surface reflectivity of parabolic mirrors, it became apparent that contamination of the surfaces and cleaning were major factors in reduced module effectiveness. Given that the conceptual development of the structure is ongoing, research into contamination factors and potential cleaning solutions were considered in such a way that panel cleaning solutions could be integrated into the trough module design from the start. A vortex generator cleaning concept, which uses V-shaped extruded forms to create vortices over a mirror panel in the presence of flow over the surface, was tested as a passive cleaning solution. by Stacy L. Figueredo. Ph.D. 2012-01-12T19:34:38Z 2012-01-12T19:34:38Z 2011 2011 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68524 770900616 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 200 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Mechanical Engineering. Figueredo, Stacy L. (Stacy Lee), 1981- Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title | Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title_full | Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title_fullStr | Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title_short | Parabolic trough solar collectors : design for increasing efficiency |
| title_sort | parabolic trough solar collectors design for increasing efficiency |
| topic | Mechanical Engineering. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/68524 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT figueredostacylstacylee1981 parabolictroughsolarcollectorsdesignforincreasingefficiency |