Optimization of thermal efficiency of a parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) based on new materials application for the absorber tube selective coating and glass cover

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate a solution in order for an optimization of PTSCs thermal efficiency. The solution focuses on the radiative heat transfers occurring within the absorber tube of a PTSC unit of a solar power plant situated in Shiraz, Iran as the paper case study. Since the existing heat transfers procedure all comes down to the optical properties of the materials used in the absorber tube of a PTSC unit, an ideal material selection can directly influence the heat transfers and consequently improve the thermal efficiency of a PTSC unit to a great extent. This paper comes up with new materials selection in which graphene nanostructure and BOROFLOAT 33 are respectively used as absorber tube coating and absorber tube glass cover for their exceptional optical and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, a numerical and analytical comparison is made between the thermal efficiencies of a PTSC unit in different states.