Experimental and analytical optical-thermal performance of evacuated cylindrical tube receiver for solar dish collector

摘要

Evacuated cylindrical tube receiver (ECT) is a promising type of solar collector system, due to its mass production, low cost, and low heat loss. In this paper, a solar dish collector system with evacuated cylindrical tube receivers (SDEC) is proposed, designed and trial-manufactured. The optical-thermal efficiency and economic analysis are carried out to validate the comprehensive performance of the SDEC. The results show that the thermal efficiency of the SDEC is about 47.3%. The nonuniformity of the solar flux and temperature distributions at the top of the absorber are verified through the coupled multi physics simulation with the result of 0e50 mm. In addition, over 10 years of the lifetime of the SDEC with 20 ECTs, the cumulative present worth of annual saving for heat production turned out to be approximately 34,041 $ and 13,460 $ with respect to electricity coiler and gas-fired boiler, respectively, when the cost of heat production per kWh is 0.0264 $ and the payback period is 1.88 years. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.