An experimental investigation of the heat losses of a U-type solar heat pipe receiver of a parabolic trough collector-based natural circulation steam generation system

The performance of a parabolic trough collector (PTC)-based steam generation system depends significantly on the heat losses of the solar receiver. This paper presents an experimental study of the heat losses of a double glazing vacuum U-type solar receiver mounted in a PTC natural circulation system for generating medium-temperature steam. Field experiments were performed to determine the overall heat losses of the receiver. Effects of wind, vacuum glass tube, radiation, and structural characteristics on the heat losses were analyzed. The thermal efficiency of the receiver was found to be 0.791 and 0.472 in calm and windy days, respectively, at a test temperature of about 100 °C, whereas the thermal efficiencies became 0.792 and 0.663, respectively, while taking the receiver element into consideration. The heat losses were increased from 0.183 to 0.255 kW per receiver for the two cases tested. It was shown that neither convection nor radiation heat losses may be negligible in the analysis of such U-type solar receivers.

► Field experiment is performed to study heat losses of U-type solar receiver mounted in PTC natural circulation system.
► Thermal efficiencies were found to be 0.791 and 0.472 in calm and windy conditions, respectively.
► When taking the RE into consideration, thermal efficiencies became 0.792 and 0.663, respectively.
► For this kind of U-type receiver, neither convection heat losses nor radiation heat losses may be neglected in the analysis.