Experimental investigation of the performance of a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) installed in Cyprus

Abstract

In this paper the performance of a Parabolic Trough Collector located at the Archimedes Solar Energy Laboratory is evaluated. It has an aperture area of 14.4 m2, a concentration ratio of 13.7 and can be operated up to 200°C. The collector aperture is 1208 mm and the receiver pipe is stainless steel 304 L with a diameter of 28mm, coated with selective coating (absorptance: 0.93, emitance: 0.18). The collector in orientated with its axis in the E-W direction tracking the sun in the N-S direction. The advantages of this tracking mode are that very little collector adjustment is required during the day and the full aperture always faces the sun at noon. A programmable tracking system is responsible for keeping the collector focused at all times. The collector is connected to a 300 liters hot water storage tank. The water is pressurized to avoid boiling in the receiver. The performance obtained is very satisfactory and agrees with the performance curve given by the manufacturer.