Premium
A new design of nontracking seasonally adjusted plane mirror linear trough solar concentrator with a flat horizontal absorber
Author(s) -
Goswami R. P.,
Sootha G. D.,
Negi B. S.,
Zaidi Z. H.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.4440160906
Subject(s) - concentrator , optics , plane mirror , reflection (computer programming) , aperture (computer memory) , solar mirror , curved mirror , acceptance angle , solar energy , enhanced data rates for gsm evolution , base (topology) , inclination angle , nonimaging optics , inclined plane , physics , engineering , acoustics , computer science , mechanical engineering , structural engineering , electrical engineering , mathematics , telecommunications , mathematical analysis , photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector , programming language
This paper presents an optical design based on a single‐reflection criterion, and performance characteristics of an east‐west aligned nontracking seasonally adjusted linear trough solar concentrator with a flat horizontal absorber, using plane mirror elements. The design procedure allows the use of any desired number of mirror elements to reflect solar energy onto the base absorber in one reflection. The angle of inclination of each mirror element with respect to the absorber surface, and the width of the mirror element, are determined so that a ray incident on the extreme upper edge of the mirror element at a specified angle to the normal to the concentrator aperture (acceptance half‐angle), after reflection, strikes the extreme edge of the absorber on the opposite side of the mirror element. Other rays making angles less than the design acceptance half‐angle are also reflected onto the base absorber in one reflection. Concentrator designs resulting from this approach appear to have the important characteristic of relatively smaller heights, and hence appear highly cost‐effective in terms of the amount of material required for fabrication. Some numerical calculations have been carried out to illustrate the performance of concentrators for different acceptance half‐angles. Results obtained are presented in graphic and tabular forms, and are discussed.