Performance analysis of a cylindrical parabolic focusing collector and comparison with experimental results

Abstract The efficiencies for focusing collectors which consist of a cylindrical parabolic reflector and a collector tube surrounded by a transparent envelope and which heat a fluid flowing through the collector tube have been predicted using heat transfer analytical methods. The analysis considers visible radiation transfer, IR radiation exchange, conductive and convective losses and energy transferred to a fluid flowing through the collector tube. The collector may have a tilted north-south axis, an east-west axis or it may fully track the Sun and geometric parameters associated with tracking the Sun are considered. Predicted results are in excellent agreement with recent collector performances measured using Sandia Laboratories' collector test facility.