Desarrollo de un modelo óptico y térmico de un colector solar lineal Fresnel con receptor trapezoidal

Abstract

The present work aims to develop a tool capable of combining the optical and thermal models of a Fresnel solar collector with trapezoidal receiver. The coding of the models was elaborated using the Python programming language. The optic model was developed using the free Solstice software that works based on the Monte-Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) method. The thermal model is based on the simplified model of thermal resistances with some variants and additional ones that allow the coupling between both models and the reduction of the simulation time. The coupled model allows to study the optical and thermal behavior of the receiver annually using the Monte-Carlo integration algorithm. The developed optical and thermal codes were validated by comparing them with research found in the literature review. Finally, the robustness of the coupled model developed was tested through an annual parametric study where several aspects of the geometry of the field of primary reflectors and the trapezoidal cavity were varied, determining that the optical losses are 95% of the total losses, so that the optical part of the LFC dominates the thermal part at the time of conducting a study of the combined behavior of the collector.