Solar Collector Field Analysis

How does a solar field work?

Policies and ethics Based on the characteristics of individual collector units, a solar field has to be assembled which is sufficiently large to generate the required thermal power at a sufficiently high temperature. The heat transfer fluid is pumped through a solar field, transporting...

How big a solar field should a line-focussing collector be?

With typical insulation limits and associated cost, the size of individual solar fields using line-focussing collectors is limited to about a thermal power at design conditions of about 500 MW th.

What parameters are missing in a solar collector optical model?

The only parameter now missing is the solar collector optical model for which the integral formulations of the parabolic trough collector (PTC, cf. Chap. 7) or the linear Fresnel collector (LFC, cf. Chap. 7) have to be introduced in order to specify the local and time dependent linear absorber heat flux \ ( {\dot {q}}_ {abs}\) (Eq. (10.36)).

Is thermal collector yield calculation reasonable?

The previous consideration of the thermal collector yield calculation is reasonable, as long as one considers the solar mirror field alone, since it allows to compare different design options (field layout, collector options) and technologies (LFC, PTC) basically with respect to their performance.

What is a collector field?

The orientation of collector field plays a significant role in its performance. It is defined by angle α, the angle made in the horizontal plane between horizontal line due south and projection of trough’s focal line on horizontal plane and measured in anticlockwise direction.

Can solar air collectors be used for building heating?

Even with low solar radiation as in winter and with sub-zero temperatures, the solar air collectors can be operated in the air preheating as a support for the building heating. Due to the low heat capacity, air collectors reach the desired operating temperature very quickly.