Wind load and structural analysis for standalone solar parabolic trough collector

Solar energy is one of the emerging technologies and the use of concentrating power technology is increasing in solar power plants. Parabolic trough collector is a concentrating solar power technology that is situated in the open terrain and subjected to wind loads. The structural stability of these devices under such loads determines the ability to accurately concentrate the rays at the absorber tube, which affects the overall optical and thermal efficiencies. A detailed numerical analysis is carried out at different wind loads and design conditions. It is observed that for a change in velocity from 5 m/ s to 25 m/s, slope deviations increase from 1.21 mrad to 3.11 mrad at the surface of the reflector exceeding the shape quality of the mirror panels. Higher yaw angles and pitch angles of 60 degrees and 120 degrees are observed to be decisive in the design of collectors. Roof-mounted collectors experience a 40% higher drag force than ground-mounted collectors at a 0 degrees pitch angle. For the Aluminium trough, the slope deviation at the surface of the reflector is higher by 4.62% than glass. The study will be helpful for engineers and scientists in the design of the parabolic trough collectors. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Solar energy, an emerging technology, is increasingly utilizing concentrating power technology in solar power plants, with the structural stability of parabolic trough collectors being crucial in maintaining optical and thermal efficiencies under wind loads. The study highlights the impact of wind loads on slope deviations and the importance of yaw and pitch angles in collector design, as well as the differences in performance between collectors made of different materials.