1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. SOLAR ENERGY

Solar energy is quite simply the energy produced directly by the sun and collected
elsewhere, normally the Earth. The sun creates its energy through a thermonuclear process
that converts about 650,000,0001 tons of hydrogen to helium every second. The process
creates heat and electromagnetic radiation. The heat remains in the sun and is instrumental in
maintaining the thermonuclear reaction. The electromagnetic radiation (including visible
light, infra-red light, and ultra-violet radiation) streams out into space in all directions.

Only a very small fraction of the total radiation produced reaches the Earth. The
radiation that does reach the Earth is the indirect source of nearly every type of energy used
today. The exceptions are geothermal energy, and nuclear fission and fusion. Even fossil
fuels owe their origins to the sun; they were once living plants and animals whose life was
dependent upon the sun.

Much of the world's required energy can be supplied directly by solar power. More
still can be provided indirectly. The practicality of doing so will be examined, as well as the
benefits and drawbacks. In addition, the uses solar energy is currently applied to will be
noted.

1.2. SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS

A solar thermal collector collects heat by absorbing sunlight. A collector is a device

for capturing solar radiation. Solar radiation is energy in the form of electromagnetic
radiation from the infrared (long) to the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. The quantity of solar
energy striking the Earth's surface averages about 1,000 watts per square meter under clear
skies, depending upon weather conditions, location and orientation.

The term "solar collector" commonly refers to solar hot water panels, but may refer to
installations such as solar parabolic troughs and solar towers; or basic installations such
as solar air heaters. Solar power plants usually use the more complex collectors to
generate electricity by heating a fluid to drive a turbine connected to an electrical generator.
Simple collectors are typically used in residential and commercial buildings for space
heating.
 2

Solar collectors are broadly classified into two categories according to their collecting
characteristics.

They are,

1) Flat plate (or) non concentrating type solar collector

2) Focusing (or) concentrating solar collector

In the non-concentrating type, the collector area (i.e., the area that intercepts the solar
radiation) is the same as the absorber area (i.e., the area absorbing the radiation). In these
types the whole solar panel absorbs light. Concentrating collectors have a bigger interceptor
than absorber.

Flat-plate and evacuated-tube solar collectors are used to collect heat for space
heating, domestic hot water or cooling with an absorption chiller.

1.2.1. FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS

Fig 1.1 shows the schematic of flat plate collector. The flat plate collectors absorb heat from
the global radiation without any focusing. Hence they are efficient collectors of beam and diffuse
sunlight. Flat plate collectors are positioned on fixed structures with appropriate axis,& tilt angle.
The axis and tilt angle are selected to collect maximum incident power during the day and during
the year.

The flat plate collector has the area of aperture (the area that interrupts the solar radiation)
approximately equals the area of the absorber. These types of collectors are useful for low
temperature range (up to 60ºC) and also for medium temperature range (up to 100ºC) for liquid and
air heating applications.

Flat-plate collectors for domestic hot-water heating and space heating for both homes and
business, there are a number of industrial process heat applications of flat-plate collectors. In an
attempt to design higher-performance flat-plate collectors with mass production capability,
collectors are being manufactured that are made from glass tubes with the enclosed space sealed
and evacuated. Called evacuated-tube collectors, these have very low overall heat loss when
operated at high temperatures. This is because they are essentially single glazed collectors with the
space between the glazing and absorber evacuated, thereby eliminating convective loss. This leaves
re-radiation as the only major loss mechanism.
 3

Fig 1.1. Flat plate collectors

1.2.2. CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS

Concentrating collectors are also known as focusing collectors. Fig 1.2 shows the schematic
of various concentrating collectors. They employ curved and multiple point target reflectors or
lenses to increase radiation on a small area. The area where the solar radiation is absorbed can be a
point focus (or) a line focus. A concentrating collector consists of three basic components

1) The reflector (or) lens type

2) The absorber and

3) The housing which maintains alignment and contains insulation for the absorber and
connecting piping

A mechanism is employed to allow the collector (or) the absorber to follow or track the
sun‟s movement across the sky. Maintenance of the reflective surfaces particularly industry or air
polluted areas and the tracking mechanisms are important considerations for collector performance.
 4

Fig 1.2. Concentration of sunlight using (a) parabolic trough collector (b) linear Fresnel
collector (c) central receiver system with dish collector and (d) central receiver system with
distributed reflectors.

1.2.3. PARABOLIC TROUGH COLLECTOR

A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal collector that is straight in one dimension
and curved as a parabola in the other two, lined with a polished metal mirror. The energy
of sunlight which enters the mirror parallel to its plane of symmetry is focused along the focal
line, where objects are positioned that are intended to be heated. Fig 1.3 shows the schematic
of parabolic trough collector

PTCs focus direct solar radiation onto a focal line on the collector axis. A receiver
tube with a fluid flowing inside that absorbs concentrated solar energy from the tube walls
and raises its enthalpy is installed in this focal line. The collector is provided with one-axis
solar tracking to ensure that the solar beam falls parallel to its axis. PTC‟s can only use direct
solar radiation, called beam radiation or Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI), i.e., the fraction of
solar radiation which is not deviated by clouds, fumes or dust in the atmosphere and that
reaches the Earth‟s surface as a parallel beam. PTC applications can be divided into two main
groups. The first and most important is Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. There are
 5

currently several commercial collectors for such applications that have been successfully
tested under real operating conditions. Typical aperture widths are about 6 m, total lengths
are from 100 to 150 m and geometrical concentrating ratios are between 20 and 30.
Temperatures are from 300 to 400ºC. CSP plants with PTCs are connected to steam power
cycles both directly and indirectly. Although the most famous example of CSP plants is the
SEGS plants in the United States, a number of projects are currently under development or
construction worldwide.

Fig 1.3. Parabolic trough collector

For other purposes, there is often a tube, frequently a Dewar tube, which runs the
length of the trough at its focal line. The mirror is oriented so that sunlight which it reflects is
concentrated on the tube, which contains a fluid which is heated to a high temperature by the
energy of the sunlight. The hot fluid can be used for many purposes. Often, it is piped to
a heat engine, which uses the heat energy to drive machinery or to generate electricity. This
solar energy collector is the most common and best known type of parabolic trough.

1.3. NANO COATING

Nano Coating is ideal for protecting, and preserving metal surfaces under various
conditions. Using proprietary nanotechnology, we at Nano Coatings have formulated a long
lasting, durable, environmentally friendly line of nanocoatings for a wide variety of
 6

substrates. Metal Coat provides protection against all types of corrosion from water, salt
spray, chemical exposure, as well as other damaging environmental elements. Fig 1.4 shows
the schematic of traditional coating and nano coating. Due to its anti-corrosion properties,
Metal Coat also eliminates the need to polish easily tarnished metals, such as aluminium,
silver, and brass. Nano Metal Coating also provides UV protection for the metal surface and
reduces ice adhesion. Nano Metal Coating is designed to protect metals in industrial
situations like bridges, pipelines, and other large equipment as well as everyday metals in the
home, such as door knobs and stainless steel kitchen appliances. The protection provided by
our Metal Coating reduces the time and labour required to properly clean the substrate,
saving both time and money.
Nano Stainless Steel Coating is an all in one solution for problems with stainless steel
aesthetics. The coating serves as a cleaner, polisher, and conditioner all in one easy
application. Self-healing film polishes the surface while also resisting smudges, fingerprints,
and other marks on the stainless steel. With zero VOCs, Nano Stainless Steel Coating is also
environmentally friendly.

Fig 1.4. Nano coating

1.3.1 NANO COATING IN SOLAR POWER APPLIANCES

Solar energy water systems generally composed of solar thermal collectors, a fluid
system to move the heat from the collector to its point of usage. The system may use
 7

electricity for pumping the fluid, and have a reservoir or tank for heat storage and subsequent
use. The systems may be used to heat water for a wide variety of uses, including home,
business and industrial uses. Fig 1.5 shows the nano coating used in solar applications
By applying nanotechnology, collector surface can be painted with certain modified
paint to improve the thermal efficiency of the solar collector; this is done by electrical or
chemical processes. Coatings are characterized by two optical properties: i) Solar Absorbance
which represents the most fraction of incident solar radiation absorbed by the surface; and
ii)Thermal Emittance, which is the magnitude of energy lost from the collector surface due to
the emission of thermal Infrared (IR) radiation. Since more than 20 years, many international
and experiments were devoted in reducing the emittance of the collector while maintain the
absorptance as high as possible by modifying the absorber coating characteristics. There are
two types of solar coatings or paints known as selective and non-selective coatings. Non-
selective coatings have high as well as high (e.g., ordinary black paints with a = 0.90-0.95
and e = 0.85-0.9). Selective coatings have a high and low (graphene with a ≈ 0.90 and e <
0.5) so they are more attractive for use in solar collector

Fig 1.5. Nano coating in solar power appliances

 8

1.4. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

The heart of concentrated solar power collector is absorber tube. The absorber tube
absorbs the concentrated solar radiation and converts it into heat to the Heat Transfer Fluid
(HTF). the more efficient the absorber, the greater the collector„s output.

The purpose of this investigation is to assure the performance of absorber tube used in
solar parabolic trough collector of water through an absorber. The absorber tube was kept
inside a glass envelope. To analyse the heat transfer behaviour of the absorber tube used in
concentrated solar thermal collector.

1.5. OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTERS

This thesis report has been divided in to the following chapters

Chapter- 1 “Introduction”, it includes the background information and overview of thesis

report.

Chapter- 2 “Review of literature”, it provides overview of the work done in this area.

Chapter- 3 “Development of experimental setup”, this explains about the components were
used and also explain about the construction and experimental procedure of the experimental
setup.

Chapter- 4 “Results and discussion”, this explains about the thermal performance of the
parabolic trough collector for with and without nano coating and shows the experimental
results of the project

Chapter- 5 “Conclusion”

\
 9

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

A detailed review of literature was carried out on almost all aspects of the solar
thermal collector and it is given below.

Davide Fissi et al (2012): Presently two different parabolic trough collector prototypes are
installed at the University of Florence (70 m2 acceptance area and 40m of receiver tube
length) and in the last two years experimental campaigns have been carried out in order to
determine the actual thermodynamic performance of the solar collectors. In this paper, the
main features of PTC collectors will be illustrated, with a specific focus on the techno-
economic specifications for the design of the collector and on the modelling and evaluation
instruments that directed the choices to the enamel-based coating with high absorptance.
Also, the process for the deposition of the enamel and for the manufacturing of the receiver
tube will be described, as well as the chemical and physical characteristics of the coating.

Fritz Zaversky et al (2013): The majority of them are based on the parabolic trough
collector technology, where a heat transfer fluid (thermal oil) is pumped through solar
absorber tubes that are concentrically placed to the focal lines of the parabolic mirrors. This
work is focused on the transient modeling of parabolic trough solar collectors that use molten
salt, a mixture of 60% NaNO3 and 40% KNO3 (weight percent), as heat transfer fluid, instead
of the conventional thermal oil. The modeling approach and all modeling assumptions are
explained in detail. In addition to the results needed for validation, a selection of important
simulation results is presented, allowing for future model comparison studies.

Malika Ouagued et al (2012): In this paper, the potential of direct solar irradiance in Algeria
and the performance of solar parabolic trough collector (PTC) are estimated under the climate
conditions of the country. These two factors are treated as they play an important role in the
design of solar thermal plant. Different tilted and tracking collectors are considered so as to
determine the most efficient system for the PTC. In order to evaluate the performance of a
tracking solar parabolic trough collector, a heat transfer model is developed. The receiver,
heat collector element (HCE), is divided into several segments and heat balance is applied in
each segment over a section of the solar receiver. Different oils are considered to determine
 10

the thermal performances of the heat transfer fluid (HTF). Then, the HTF temperature and
heat gain evolutions are compared under the topographical and climatic conditions.

Markus Pfander et al (2010): This paper presents two concepts for a pyro metric solar-blind
measurement on solar trough absorber tubes. One solar-blind approach is a spectral
measurement range in regions, where the solar spectrum shows gaps due to the discrete
absorption of the atmosphere. Another possibility for a solar-blind pyro metric temperature
measurement results from the optical behaviour, i.e. the distinct angle dependence of the
directional reflectance and emittance of a typical selective trough absorber coating. First
experimental results are shown and the accuracy and performance advantages and
disadvantages of the setups are reported and discussed.

Nidal H. Abu Hamdeh et al (2013): The current work demonstrates a developed model of a
solar adsorption refrigeration system with specific requirements and specifications. The
recent scheme can be employed as a refrigerator and cooler unit suitable for remote areas.
The unit runs through a parabolic trough solar collector (PTC) and uses olive waste as
adsorbent with methanol as absorbent. Cooling production, COP (coefficient of performance,
and COP (cycle gross coefficient of performance) were used to assess the system
performance. The system‟s design optimum parameters in this study were arrived to through
statistical and experimental methods.

Sergii Khairnasov et al (2011): However, the majority of thermal solar collectors do not
meet the requirements on small weight, easy assembly and installation, versatility, scalability,
and adaptability of the design, which are particularly important when they are facade
integrated. Very high hydraulic resistance, from 2000 Pa to 20,000 Pa, in liquid solar
collectors and low thermal efficiency of some of them, less than 0.5, also are the problems to
be solved by the developers. Current research is proposing to apply extruded aluminium alloy
made heat pipes of original cross-sectional profile with wide fins and longitudinal grooves in
order to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks of liquid thermal collectors. Absorber plate of
flat collectors could be composed of several fins..

Weidong Huang et al (2011): A new analytical model for optical performance and a
modified integration algorithm are proposed and applied to simulate the performance of a
parabolic trough solar collector with vacuum tube receiver. The analytical equation for
 11

optical efficiency of each point at reflector is derived first, and then the optical efficiency of
the system is simulated by numerical integration algorithm. The cosine factor, receiver
efficiency, heat loss and efficiency of conversion of solar energy into net heat energy at any
time can be calculated with the program. The annual average efficiency is also simulated
considering discard loss. The effects of optical error, tracking error, position error from
installation of receiver, optical properties of reflector, transmittance and absorptivity of
vacuum tube receiver on efficiencies of the trough system are simulated and analyzed as well
as optical parameter.

Y. L. He et al (2010): A unified two-dimensional numerical model was developed for the

coupled heat transfer process in parabolic solar collector tube, which includes nature
convection, forced convection, heat conduction, and fluid–solid conjugate problem. The
effects of Rayleigh number (Ra), tube diameter ratio, and thermal conductivity of the tube
wall on the heat transfer and fluid flow performance were numerically analysed. The
distributions of flow field, temperature field, local Nusselt number (Nu), and local
temperature gradient was examined. The results show that when Ra is larger than 105, the
effects of nature convection must be taken into account. With the increase of tube diameter
ratio, the Nu in inner tube increases and the Nu in annuli space decreases. With the increase
of tube wall thermal conductivity, Nusselt number decreases and increases.

Ze Dong Cheng et al (2013): This paper presents the theoretical analysis results of the
relations between the geometric parameters of the reflector of a parabolic trough collector
(PTC) system and the focal shape formed by the defocusing phenomenon of the non-parallel
solar beam firstly. Then the effects of these designed parameters and the defocusing
phenomenon on the comprehensive characteristics and performance of the whole process of
the photo-thermal conversion in the PTC system were numerically studied and optimized, the
theoretical analysis results, proving that the model and method used in the present study is
feasible and reliable. It is also found that the comprehensive characteristics and performance
are very different from some critical points determined by the defocusing phenomenon of the
non-parallel solar beam. In addition, an improved description for the characteristics of the
solar flux density distributions on the absorber tube is further presented.
 12

Zhifeng Wang et al (2012): They are discussed in detail and are explained in view of the on-
site parabolic trough solar collectors in the real service. In addition, the experimental data
acquired from four typical test cases at the transient working conditions is applied to obtain
the parameters of three mathematical models in the test methods and predict the collector
outlet temperature, and collector output power. Furthermore, the comparative analysis on the
projections of the essential thermal performance indicators shows the advantages and
disadvantages of these three test models according to both the practical operation and weather
conditions, which proves that the dynamic model may be the potential core of a quick,
reliable on-site thermal performance test method at some future time.

A detailed review of literature is carried out, and a thorough knowledge on the solar
thermal parabolic trough collector was obtained after referring to the journals and books that
are mentioned above in this chapter. They were helpful in designing the absorber tube used in
concentrated solar thermal collector, and thereby provide further scope for its development
and their parameter optimization. This literature review gave a better idea for the complete
understanding of the absorber tube used in concentrated collectors. Hence, from this review,
it was also found that there is a widening scope for the further implementation of the coating
process on the absorber tube.
 13

CHAPTER-3

DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

In this chapter, the various system components involved in the experimental setup is
discussed along with its specification. In addition, the experimental procedure for the conduct
of heat lost on absorber tube is also addressed.

3.1. SYSTEM COMPONENTS

The various components which are used the fabrication along with their specification
are discussed below,

 Pump
 Glass envelope
 Absorber tube
 Solar simulator
 Reservoir
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by
mechanical action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method
they use to move the fluid. Here the pump is used to pump the water from the reservoir to the
absorber tube. This is used to maintain the forced circulation of water through the set-up.

Fig 3.1. Glass envelope

 14

The glass envelope is a glass material that is used to cover the absorber tube. Both
side of the glass envelope was sealed. The vacuum was created in between the glass envelope
and the absorber tube. The absorber tube is covered by the borosilicate glass envelope is
showed in Fig 3.1. The borosilicate glass envelope to provide with structural elements which
focus sunlight that falls directly on the absorber tube from the sun. The borosilicate glass
envelope is preferably arranged relative to the solar simulator, so that its centre is displaced
from the focal point by a distance equal to half the spacing between the borosilicate glass
envelope and the absorber tube.

Fig 3.2. Absorber tube

The solar absorber is the part of a solar collector in which the solar radiation is
converted into heat. In addition to optical losses, thermal losses also occur in the absorber
since it assumes a higher temperature than the environment due to the conversion of the solar
radiation into heat. In concentrating collectors such as parabolic trough collectors the solar
absorber is equipped with an absorber body that absorbs incident solar energy and converts it
to heat. The glass envelope includes an absorber tube and an around it. The glass envelope
with absorber tube was sealed at the both ends. Fig 3.2 shows the absorber tube sealed with
borosilicate glass envelope.

An effective way to reduce thermal losses from the absorber tube of a solar collector
is by using selective absorber tube coatings. An ideal selective coating is one that is a perfect
absorber of solar radiation while being a perfect reflector of thermal radiation. Such a coating
will make a surface, a poor emitter of thermal radiation. Hence a selective coating increases
the temperature of an absorbing surface. Then here the absorber tube was fully coated with
 15

black paint these coating have absorptance exceeding 0.95 and emittance of 0.90 to 0.95.
Although the emittance are high, use of these coating may be justified the economically in
some applications where high collector temperatures not required, such as hot water systems
or swimming pool heaters. Although the emittance are high, use of these coatings may be
justified the economically in some applications where high collector temperatures not
required, such as hot water systems or swimming pool heaters.

A solar simulator (also artificial sun) is a device that provides illumination

approximating natural sunlight. The purpose of the solar simulator is to provide a controllable
indoor test facility under laboratory conditions, used for the testing of the performance of the
experimental setup. Heating coil is used as a solar simulator. It is fixed bottom of the
absorber tube. It is connected with the millimetres and dimmer stat, it is used to control the
input voltage and current. The capacity of the heating coil used in this experiment is 1000
watts.

Reservoir is a device that is used to store the water. It is have two connections one is
connected with a pump and another is connected with an absorber tube. Pump is used to
pump the water. The heated water is stored again in the reservoir it is a continuous process.
The heated water is measured by the use of thermocouples. The capacity of the reservoir tank
is 20 litres.

3.2. ALUMINIUM OXIDE NANO COATING

Aluminum oxide is a chemical compound of aluminum and oxygen with the chemical
formula Al2O3. It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminum oxides, and
specifically identified as aluminum (III) oxide. It is commonly called Aluminium oxide, and
may also be called aluminum oxide, aluminum oxide, depending on particular forms or
applications. It commonly occurs in its crystalline polymorphic phase γ-Al2O3 .

Aluminum oxide flakes are used in paint for reflective decorative effects, such as in
the automotive or cosmetic industries. Nano Aluminium oxide powder and it‟s a
nanocomposite with polymer matrix have many advantages which make it very convenient
for producing a nanocomposites for coating purposes and other applications. The properties
of the nano Aluminium oxide coating such as aspect ratio, surface area, chemical
composition, strength, roughness, low cost, environmentally green, ability for modifications
to be organophilic or hydrophobic by surface treatment and thermal stability make it suitable
 16

for producing good nano composites if it is used as reinforcement material or filler material
in other weak matrix material like polymers. The nano Aluminium oxide represents a very
good application. The manufacturing of such coatings pass through several technical steps
until it can become a final product. These steps can be concluded as material selection,
coating preparation and processing. Table 3.1 shows the properties of aluminium oxide

Table 3.1 Properties of Aluminium Oxide

PROPERTIES OF ALUMINIUM OXIDE

Description Gamma (γ) phase

Form Nano powder

Colour White

Particle size >50nm

Surface area >40m2/g

Melting point 2,072 °C (3,762 °F; 2,345 K)

Boiling point 2,977 °C (5,391 °F; 3,250 K)

Thermal conductivity 30 W.m−1·K−1

3.3. SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope that produces

images of a sample by scanning it with a focused beam of electrons. The electrons interact
with atoms in the sample, producing various signals that can be detected and that contain
information about the sample's surface topography and composition. The electron beam is
generally scanned in a raster scan pattern, and the beam's position is combined with the
detected signal to produce an image. SEM can achieve resolution better than one nanometer.
Specimens can be observed in high vacuum, in low vacuum, and (in environmental SEM) in
wet conditions.
 17

Aluminium oxide nano coating SEM images are given below, these images are used
to verify the nano particles of aluminium oxide. Fig 3.3 shows the nano SEM image of
aluminium oxide nano powder.

Fig 3.3. Aluminium oxide nano powder

Fig 3.4. Mixture of Aluminium oxide nano powder with black paint

Fig 3.4 shows the SEM image of Aluminium oxide nano powder with black paint.
The image is to refer the starting stage of the aluminium oxide mixed with black paint. This
image is used to show the mixing composition of the paint and Aluminium oxide.
 18

Fig 3.5 Aluminium oxide nano powder with paint

The above image is referring the final stage of the nano powder with paint and also to denote
the measurement of the nano particle perfectly. It is shown in Fig 3.5.

3.4. SPRAYING TECHNIC

Fig 3.6. Spraying machine

 19

This method the same principle as electrostatic spraying, but sprays something a little
different, powder paint. The object then moves through an oven, and the powder melts into a
smooth, durable coat. Overspray can be reused, and no other pollutants are created or
released because the powder contains no solvents. The equipment for powder coating is
expensive, so it may be economical only for larger businesses. Objects that are powder coated
must be able to withstand oven curing, about 350°F for 30 minutes, without any loss of
strength. Most metals, except aluminum, can be powder coated. A variation of this is plasma
powder coating. The powder is fed into an extremely hot gas stream 5,000°F to 15,000°F and
is then sprayed at the object. Application and curing occur at the same time. Overspray
cannot be reused because it hardens. Because of the high temperature spray, protective
equipment is required. Powder coats can also be applied by a fluidized bed of powder. Air is
mixed with the powder, essentially creating a dense cloud of paint powder. The object to be
painted is preheated, dipped into the bed, and then cured. The paint filler, needle adjuster, air
valve and handle these are all main components of the sprayer. Fig 3.6 shows the Spraying
machines main components.

3.5. CONSTRUCTION

Fig 3.7. Schematic diagram of experimental setup

 20

Fig 3.7 shows the Schematic view of the experimental setup. The experimental setup
consists of the solar absorber tube surrounded by the borosilicate glass, water pump, solar
simulator, temperature indicator, multimeters and reservoir tank. The heat source is given to
the absorber tube by using solar simulator. The solar simulator consists of coil heater. The
provison is given for coil heater to vary the electrical load by using dimmerstat and the
varrying load showned by the multimeters. The heat transfer fluid selected for the present
work is water and it is circulated to the experiment setup by using water circulating pump.
Thermocouples are located at inlet and outlet of the absorber tube and also fixed at the top of
the glass envelope. A temperature indicator is used to know the temperature. The heating coil
arrangement is provided at the bottom of the absorber tube. Fig 3.8 shows the photographic
view of the complete experimental setup.

Fig 3.8. Photographic view of experimental setup

A - Absorber Tube covered with borosilicate glass

B - Multimeters

C - Digital Temperature Display Unit

D - Water Circulating Pump

E - Reservoir Tank
 21

3.6. SPECIFICATIONS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

The specification of various system components is given below.

Pump

Power - 373 watts

Pressure - Atmospheric pressure

Volume flow rate - 1 litre per minute

Absorber tube

Absorber tube material - Mild steel

Absorber diameter - 0.0127 meter(1/2 inch)

Borosilicate glass

Borosilicate glass diameter - 0.1016 meter

Borosilicate glass Tube length - 1 meter

Solar simulator - 1000 Watts

Reservoir tank capacity - 20 litres

These specification parameters are used in apppendix-1 to find the heat gain and
efficiency of the absorber tube.
 22

3.7. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

The reservoir tank was fully filled with the water. The pump is used to maintain the
flow from the reservoir tank to the absorber tube. The other end of the absorber tube is
directly connected with the reservoir. The solar simulator is placed under the absorber tube
and gives continuous heat whenever it‟s turned on. The thermocouples are fitted on the
absorber tube at the inlet and outlet position of the absorber tube. It is used to indicate the
inlet, outlet, and the borosilicate glass tube temperature. The heating coil is connected with a
dimmer stat which is used to varying the simulator load it. The heat transfer fluid circulated
through the absorber tube is heated by using the solar simulator. The heat gained by the heat
transfer fluid is observed for various mass flow rate and heat input. The experiment is
repeated for nano coated absorber tube. And find the heat gain and efficiency of the absorber
tube from the experimental results.

The following precautions are taken care of before conducting the experiment.

 Leakages in the pipe should be avoided

 Thermocouples are calibrated to the ambient conditions.
 The voltage in the power supply is to be varied.
 23

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The performance of the absorber tube with and without nano coating under different
mass flow rate and heat conditions are discussed in this chapter in detail.

4.1 PERFORMANCE OF THE ABSORBER TUBE

The heat transfer behaviour of the absorber tube used in parabolic trough collector
under three different operating conditions of different heat input, different heat transfer fluid
(HTF) inlet temperature and various mass flow rate. These operating conditions are
conducted for both with and without nano coating. The performance of the absorber tube for
without and with nano coating is conducted, it shows that the temperature of the HTF could
be elevated to a maximum temperature of 32ºC and 35ºC. However, when the HTF is
circulated through the absorber tube with increasing of heat supplied a maximum temperature
is achieved at the outlet of the absorber tube is 45ºC for without coating and 50ºC for with
coating.

The useful heat gain by the HTF during its flow passage between the inlet and outlet
of the absorber tube is evaluated in appendix- 1. The heat supplied to the absorber tube is also
evaluated in subsequent section of appendix-1. Through the heat supplied and heat gain the
efficiency was found. Table 4.2 and 4.3 are shows the efficiency based on heat supplied and
heat gain. The heat supplied to the absorber tube is same for both with and without nano
coating. The useful heat gain and efficiency of with coating is high to compare without nano
coating.

The instantaneous useful heat gain with respect to the heat supplied of the experiment,
it is shown in Fig 4.1. It is seen from the figure that the intensity of the heat supplied and the
useful heat gain by the PTC increases with respect to any time. This is due to the fact that the
useful heat gain is strongly influenced by the heat supplied, and therefore follows its
variation.
 24

Fig 4.1 Heat supplied vs. Heat gain

For various heat input values useful heat gain is calculated. From the graphs, it is
clear that as the heat input increases useful heat gained by the fluid is also increases. The heat
gain of nano coated absorber tube is increases to compare without nano coated absorber tube
because when give a nano coating (Al2O3) on the absorber tube, it is increases the surface
area and thermal conductivity compare to without nano coating (black paint), so the heat gain
is high to compare without coating. The heat gain was calculated in appendix-1. Fig 4.1
shows the heat gain according to heat supplied for comparison of with and without nano
coating.

As the fluid inlet temperature increases, the temperature of the absorber tube also
increases as a result due to convection heat loss to the surroundings increases, resulting in
reduction of absorber tube efficiency and it is given in Fig 4.2. It is clear from the graph that
the value of efficiency decreases significantly with fluid inlet temperature, the decrease being
slightly non-linear. The non-linearity is due to the fact that the value of the overall loss
coefficient increases slightly as Tin increases.This shows that as the inlet temperature
increases the efficiency of the collector decreases. This is due to high thermal losses when the
temperature is too high. When the heat transfer fluid enters to the absorber tube it is start to
get heat due to the radiation. Then the fluid‟s exiting temperature will be high. When the
radiation increases the inlet heat transfer fluid exiting temperature is also increases.
 25

80

70

60

50
Efficiency (%)

40
Without coating
30
With coating
20

10

0
256.46 423.792 697.026 998.4
Heat supplied (W)

Fig 4.2 Heat supplied vs. Efficiency

With nano coated absorber tube absorbs more heat gain compare to without nano
coating. When the heat gain increases the efficiency is also increases. The increase in HTF
temperature is observed and finally the efficiency of the absorber tube is found of 39% in
without coating and 59% in with nano coating, it is calculated in appendix- 1. Fig 4.2 shows
the comparison efficiency according to heat supplied for with and without coating.
 26

4.2 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The results obtained for various operating conditions of, different heat input, different
inlet HTF temperature and various mass flow rates are given in table 4.1 and 4.2. Table 4.3
and 4.4 are corresponding to nano coated absorber tube.

Table 4.1 Experiment results for without coating

I = 4.11amps V= 62.4V Tg = 40°C

S.NO Mass flow rate (kg/sec) Tin (°C) Tout (°C)

1 0.0122 30 32

2 0.0097 31 33.4

3 0.0084 32 34.7

I = 4.86 amps V= 87.2V Tg = 44°C

1 0.0122 31 35

2 0.0097 33 37

3 0.0084 34 38.8

I = 5.37amps V= 129.8V Tg = 46°C

1 0.0122 31 37

2 0.0097 32 38.7

3 0.0084 34 40.16

I = 6.24amps V= 160.8V Tg = 56°C

1 0.0122 30 38

2 0.0097 33 41.2

3 0.0084 36 44.6
 27

Table 4.2 Efficiency based on heat supplied for without coating

CURRENT (I) VOLTAGE ( V) EFFICIENCY

S.NO
amps Volts (%)

1 4.11 62.4 39

2 4.86 87.2 48

3 5.37 129.8 51.19

4 6.24 160.8 58.8

Table 4.3 Efficiency based on heat supplied for with coating

CURRENT (I) VOLTAGE ( V) EFFICIENCY

S.NO
amps Volts (%)

1 4.11 62.4 59

2 4.86 87.2 62.7

3 5.37 129.8 70

4 6.24 160.8 74.2

 28

Table 4.4 Experiment results for with coating

I = 4.11amps V= 62.4V Tg = 40°C

S.NO Mass flow rate (kg/sec) Tin (°C) Tout (°C)

1 0.0122 30 35

2 0.0097 31 36.6

3 0.0084 32 38

I = 4.86 amps V= 87.2V Tg = 44°C

1 0.0122 31 38

2 0.0097 33 40.4

3 0.0084 34 41.7

I = 5.37amps V= 129.8V Tg = 46°C

1 0.0122 31 40

2 0.0097 32 41.8

3 0.0084 34 44

I = 6.24amps V= 160.8V Tg = 56°C

1 0.0122 30 43

2 0.0097 35 48.5

3 0.0084 37 51.2
 29

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

The huge amount of solar radiation that is potentially available on the earth constitutes
a practically unlimited source of energy. Power production from renewable energy like solar
is gaining momentum in recent years. Among the various solar collectors, concentrated type
like parabolic trough collector is widely used in power plant applications. The nano powder
coating is used to increase the thermal conductivity, toughness and ductility, and increased
hardness and strength of metals and alloys.

The one of the main element of concentrating collectors is absorber tube. The
effective design of absorber tube is useful to convert solar energy to heat energy with
minimum heat losses. In this work the performance test on absorber tube with and without
nano coating is conducted for its conversion efficiency. The experimental setup consists of
absorber tube enveloped with glass cover, heating coil and pump. The heat transfer fluid
(HTF) of water is circulated through the system components. The increase in HTF
temperature is observed for various heat input and finally the instantaneous efficiency of the
absorber tube is found for with and without nano coating. The instantaneous efficiency for
without coating is 39% and for with coating 59%. Thus the provision of nano coating over
the absorber tube increases the heat gain of the circulating HTF and thus the instantaneous
efficiency is increased accordingly.
 30

APPENDIX- 1

The results of the experimental investigation made on the absorber tube. The heat
convection, solar heat gain, useful heat gain and efficiency of the absorber tube are calculated
in this chapter.

HEAT TRANSFER RATE

Useful heat

Qu = ṁ Cp (Tout-Tin)

Where,

Q = Heat gained by water in watts.

ṁ = Mass flow rate of water in kg/s.- 0.0167 kg/s

Cp = Specific heat capacity of water in J/kg-K-4187 J/kg-K.

(Tout-Tin)= Temperature difference in K.

Convection

Qcon = h (Tg-Ta) A

Where,

h = convective heat transfer co-efficient

Tg = Borosilicate glass temperature

Ta = Ambient temperature, A = Surface area

Heat supplied

Q=I*V

I = current in amps

V = voltage in volts
 31

Efficiency of the absorber tube

ηabs = Qu /Q

ηabs = Absorber tube efficiency

Qu = useful heat gain in watts

Q = heat supplied in watts

CALCULATION

Qcon = h (Tg-Ta) A

Film temperature,

Tf = (Tg + Ta)/2

Tf = (36+30)/2

= 33˚c

Free or natural convection

Air properties at film temperature (1 atm)

Kinematic viscosity (v) = 22.62 x 10⁻⁶ (m²/s)

Prandtl number (Pr) = 0.689

Thermal conductivity (k) = 0.03169(W/m-K)

Rayleigh number = Grashof number x Prandtl number

Tg=Ts
 32

Film coefficient=1/Tf

=1/ (33+273)

= 3.26 x 10⁻³ K ⁻¹

Gr = 9.81 x 3.26 x 10⁻³ x (40-30) x 0.1016³ / (22.62 x 10 ⁻⁶)²

Gr = 652699.058

RaD = 652699.058 x 0.689

= 449709.6509

Nusselt number = hLc / k

Where,

Lc = Characteristic length of tube (D) = 0.1016 m

k = Thermal conductivity (W/m-k)

Nu = 7.87108

h = Nu k / Lc

h = 7.87108 x 0.03169 / 0.1016

h = 2.4550 W/m²-k
 33

Then,

Qcon = h A (Tg-Ta)

Surface area A=Π D l

A = 3.14 x 0.1016 x 1 = 0.3191 m²

Qcon = 4.4526 x 0.08 (313 – 303)

Qcon = 7.836 watts

HEAT SUPPLIED TO THE ABSORBER TUBE

Q=I*V

= 4.11 * 62.4

= 256.46

USEFUL HEAT

Then the useful heat,

Qu = ṁ Cp (Tout-Tin)

= 20*4.186*103*2/ 27.33*60

= 102.11 W

EFFICIENCY OF THE ABSORBER TUBE

ηabs = Qu / Q

= 102.11/ 256.46

ηabs = 39 %
 34

CHAPTER 7

REFERENCES

 A.A. Hachicha, I. Rodríguez, J. Castro, A. Oliva. Numerical simulation of wind flow

around a parabolic trough solar collector. Applied Energy, Volume 107, July

2013, Pages 426-437.

 Fritz Zaversky, Rodrigo Medina, Javier García-Barberena, Marcelino Sánchez, David

Astrain. Object-oriented modeling for the transient performance simulation of

parabolic trough collectors using molten salt as heat transfer fluid, Solar

Energy, Volume 95, September 2013, Pages 192-215.

 Liang Zhang, Zitao Yu, Liwu Fan, Wujun Wang, Huan Chen, Yacai Hu, Jianren Fan,

Mingjiang Ni, Kefa Cen. 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, Renewable Energy, Volume 57, September 2013, Pages 262-268.

 Loreto Valenzuela, David Hernández-Lobón, Eduardo Zarza. Sensitivity Analysis of

Saturated Steam Production in Parabolic Trough Collectors, Energy Precede, Volume

30, 2012, Pages 765-774.

 Li Xu, Zhifeng Wang, Xin Li, Guofeng Yuan, Feihu Sun, Dongqiang Lei, Shidong Li.

A comparison of three test methods for determining the thermal performance

of parabolic trough solar collectors , Solar Energy, Volume 99, January 2014, Pages

11-27.

 Li Xu, Zhifeng Wang, Xin Li, Guofeng Yuan, Feihu Sun, Dongqiang Lei. Dynamic

test model for the transient thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors,

Solar Energy, Volume 95, September2013, Pages65-78.

 35

 Malika Ouagued, Abdallah Khellaf, Larbi Loukarfi. Estimation of the temperature,

heat gain and heat loss by solar parabolic trough collector under Algerian climate

using different thermal oils, Energy Conversion and Management, Volume

75, November 2013, Pages 191-201.

 Nidal H. Abu-Hamdeh, Khaled A. Alnefaie, Khalid H. Almitani. Design and

performance characteristics of solar adsorption refrigeration system using parabolic

trough collector: Experimental and statistical optimization technique, Energy

Conversion and Management, Volume 74, October 2013, Pages 162-170.

 Weidong Huang, Peng Hu, Zeshao Chen. Performance simulation of a parabolic

trough solar collector, Solar Energy, Volume 86, Issue 2, February 2012, Pages 746-

755

 Ze-Dong Cheng, Ya-Ling He, Kun Wang, Bao-Cun Du, F.Q. Cui. A detailed

parameter study on the comprehensive characteristics and performance of a parabolic

trough solar collector system, Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 63, Issue 1, 5

February 2014, Pages278-289.