Small-Sized Parabolic Trough Collector System for Solar Dehumidification Application: Design, Development, and Potential Assessment

The current study presents a numerical and real-time performance analysis of a parabolic trough collector (PTC) system designed for solar air-conditioning applications. Initially, a thermodynamic model of PTC is developed using engineering equation solver (EES) having a capacity of around 3 kW. Then...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of photoenergy 2018-01, Vol.2018 (2018), p.1-12
Main Authors: Ditta, Allah, Din, Muhammad Rameez ud, Lodhi, Shabaz Khan, Amber, Khuram Pervez, Amar, Muhammad, Ali, Muzaffar, Kousar, Rubeena, Chaudhary, Ghulam Qadar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air conditioners
Air conditioning
Alternative energy sources
Climate
Computer simulation
Dehumidification
Efficiency
Engineering
Finite volume method
Heat transfer
Laboratories
Mathematical models
Simulation
Solar collectors
Solar energy
Solar radiation
Thermal energy
Transient analysis
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The current study presents a numerical and real-time performance analysis of a parabolic trough collector (PTC) system designed for solar air-conditioning applications. Initially, a thermodynamic model of PTC is developed using engineering equation solver (EES) having a capacity of around 3 kW. Then, an experimental PTC system setup is established with a concentration ratio of 9.93 using evacuated tube receivers. The experimental study is conducted under the climate of Taxila, Pakistan in accordance with ASHRAE 93-1986 standard. Furthermore, PTC system is integrated with a solid desiccant dehumidifier (SDD) to study the effect of various operating parameters such as direct solar radiation and inlet fluid temperature and its impact on dehumidification share. The experimental maximum temperature gain is around 5.2°C, with the peak efficiency of 62% on a sunny day. Similarly, maximum thermal energy gain on sunny and cloudy days is 3.07 kW and 2.33 kW, respectively. Afterwards, same comprehensive EES model of PTC with some modifications is used for annual transient analysis in TRNSYS for five different climates of Pakistan. Quetta revealed peak solar insolation of 656 W/m2 and peak thermal energy 1139 MJ with 46% efficiency. The comparison shows good agreement between simulated and experimental results with root mean square error of around 9%.
ISSN:1110-662X
1687-529X
DOI:10.1155/2018/5759034