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Abstract

The current study presents an experimental attempt to enhance the thermal performance of a parabolic solar collector, which is a tube made of copper, by using four different types of receiver coatings. The experiments were conducted with a mass flow rate of 1 L/min, utilizing deionized water as the heat transfer fluid, and a single-axis tracking system (north-south orientation). The experimental tests were carried out in Mosul, Iraq, during selected days of the months (May, June, July) in the year 2023, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The results indicated that when air was used as a type of receiver coating, the highest useful thermal energy value reached 557 watts, the lowest 69 watts, with an average of 335 watts. When using black chrome-coated glass with aluminum fiber that is evacuated of air, the highest useful thermal energy value was 1247 watts, the lowest 146 watts, with an average of 335 watts. As black chrome-coated glass with PCM was used, the highest useful thermal energy value was 620 watts, the lowest 69 watts, with an average of 324 watts. Finally, when transparent white glass was used, the highest useful thermal energy value was 759 watts, the lowest 97 watts, with an average of 427 watts. These results demonstrate that the utilization of black chrome-coated glass with evacuated aluminum fiber provides the best thermal performance compared to the other types of receiver coatings investigated in this study.

Keywords

black chrome-plated glass, heat transfer, Parabolic trough, solar thermal, useful thermal energy

Subject Area

Physics

Article Type

Article

First Page

1282

Last Page

1294

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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