Optical and Thermal Assessment of a Linear Fresnel Collector Using a Minichannel Absorber Tube for Medium Temperature Applications

摘要

Solar thermal energy has been the fastest-growing renewable heat technology, but most of the world's solar thermal installed capacity consists of a single house domestic system. Linear Fresnel collectors are considered a cost-effective technology for applications such as heat for industrial process, concentrating solar power, etc In 2008, Diaz presented a novel mini-channel tube solar collector for low temperatures applications, showing promising results compared to conventional flat plate and evacuated tube collectors Considering the benefits of using mini-channels, the present work presents a novel design of a LFC by using a mini-channel tube as absorber The main results show an increase of 2,8% of thermal power output and 21% in optical efficiency compared to commercial LFC, proving that this design could constitute a feasible option to be integrated into solar solutions for medium temperature industrial processes.