Development and optimization of heat pipe based compound parabolic collector

Abdullahi, Bala (2015). Development and optimization of heat pipe based compound parabolic collector. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Compound Parabolic Collector (CPC) has numerous advantages such as high optical efficiency and wide applications. This thesis describes experimental and theoretical investigations of the effects of solar radiation available, design and orientation on different configurations of low concentration CPCs for Kano, Nigeria.

Two solar radiation models were developed for characterizing solar radiation for regions in the northern hemisphere like Kano. Results showed that tilting the collector to the monthly optimum angle gives the maximum radiation obtainable in each month with highest increase of 28.6 and 24.8% in December and January respectively. For seasonal tilt; the best angles were 27.05° (October to March) and 0° (April to September) while for fixed collector, tilting at 12.05° (latitude) provides the highest performance.

Using advanced ray tracing technique, detailed investigations of the effects of acceptance angle, receiver radius, truncation, etc. were carried out on the CPC performance. While with the truncation of 70%, results showed that compound parabolic collector can achieve daily average optical efficiencies of 86.2% and 75.4% for acceptance angles of 60° and 40° respectively.

The performance of the thermosyphon (receiver) was investigated both experimentally and numerically. Using an in house solar simulator developed in this work, the performance of the developed CPC fitted with thermosyphon was experimentally investigated. Results showed that the CPC can function well with thermosyphon inclination angle up to 40° where it gives efficiency between 76% and 66%.

The outcome of this work shows the potential of using this developed system in Kano environment for cooling applications.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):