Thermal modeling of a parabolic trough solar collector using finite element method

The purpose of this work is to present the model of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTC) using the Finite Element Method to predict the thermal behavior of the working fluid along the collector receiver tube. The thermal efficiency is estimated based on the governing equations involved in the heat transfer processes. To validate the model results, a thermal simulation of the fluid was performed using Solidworks software. The maximum error obtained from the comparison of the modeling with the simulation was 7.6% at a flow rate of 1 l/min. According to the results obtained from the statistical errors, the method can effectively predict the fluid temperature at high flow rates. The developed model can be useful as a design tool, in the optimization of the time spent in the simulations generated by the software and in the minimization of the manufacturing costs related to Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors.