The thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough collector is a function of both the fraction of direct normal radiation absorbed by the receiver (the optical efficiency) and the heat lost to the environment when the receiver is at operating temperature. The thermal efficiency can be determined by testing the collector under actual operating conditions or by separately measuring these two components. This paper describes how outdoor measurement of the optical efficiency is combined with laboratory measurements of receiver heat loss to obtain the thermal efficiency curve. This paper describes this approach and also makes the case that there are advantages to plotting collector efficiency versus the difference between the operating temperature and the ambient temperature at which the receiver heat loss was measured divided by radiation to a fractional power (on the order of 1/3 but obtained via data regression)—as opposed to the difference between operating and ambient temperatures divided by the radiation. The results are shown to be robust over wide ranges of ambient temperature, sky temperature, and wind speed.
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e-mail: chuck.kutscher@nrel.gov
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February 2012
Research Papers
Generation of a Parabolic Trough Collector Efficiency Curve From Separate Measurements of Outdoor Optical Efficiency and Indoor Receiver Heat Loss
Charles Kutscher,
e-mail: chuck.kutscher@nrel.gov
Charles Kutscher
Principal Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
, MS 5202, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401
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Frank Burkholder,
Frank Burkholder
Engineer III
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
, MS 5202, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401
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J. Kathleen Stynes
J. Kathleen Stynes
Graduate Student Assistant
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Colorado
, Boulder, CO 80301
Search for other works by this author on:
Charles Kutscher
Principal Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
, MS 5202, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401e-mail: chuck.kutscher@nrel.gov
Frank Burkholder
Engineer III
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
, MS 5202, 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401
J. Kathleen Stynes
Graduate Student Assistant
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Colorado
, Boulder, CO 80301J. Sol. Energy Eng. Feb 2012, 134(1): 011012 (6 pages)
Published Online: November 29, 2011
Article history
Received:
March 15, 2011
Revised:
August 1, 2011
Online:
November 29, 2011
Published:
November 29, 2011
Citation
Kutscher, C., Burkholder, F., and Kathleen Stynes, J. (November 29, 2011). "Generation of a Parabolic Trough Collector Efficiency Curve From Separate Measurements of Outdoor Optical Efficiency and Indoor Receiver Heat Loss." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. February 2012; 134(1): 011012. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4005247
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