Volume 29, Issue 2, March 2017, Pages 149–165
Joseph Kessel Pombe1, Haman Djalo2, Beda Tibi3, Etienne Tchoffo Houdji4, and Steven Heugang Ndjanda5
1 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 814, Cameroon
2 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 405, Cameroon
3 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 405, Cameroon
4 The Higher Institute of the Sahel, Department of Renewables Energy, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46, Cameroon
5 The Higher Institute of the Sahel, Department of Renewables Energy, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2017 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Detailed simulations in aim to evaluated performances of a solar parabolic trough collector under climatic conditions of Cameroon Sahelian Zones was devoted by using a computer program based on one-dimensional flow implicit finite volume method with energy balance. The heat collecting element of the collector was divided into several control volume and heat balance correlations was applied for each control volume of the trough. In other to solve the three linear algebraic equations obtained from the model, the Tri-Diagonal Matrix Algorithm was implemented. At all, the model estimates for a typical day of the least sunny and the sunniest months, the optical and thermal performances of the collector, the solar energy absorbed the useful thermal heat and the heat lost to the ambient. The E-W horizontal traking mode which is getting closer with full tracking mode is assumed to collect high optical efficiency at about 74% during all the seasons. The maximum of outlet temperature of heat transfer fluid obtained at the right end of the absorber tube is about 140°C, 138°C and 80°C during a typical day of the least sunny months and 180°C, 180°C and 90°C during a typical day of the sunniest month respectively for water, air and TherminolVP-1TM synthetic oil used as heat transfer fluid. Outlet temperatures obtained from the model compared with data from Sandia experimental tested collector and from another devoted work show that the model is very suitable to predict the behavior of a solar parabolic trough collector under climatic conditions of Cameroon Sahelian Zones.
Author Keywords: Simulation, finite volume method, tracking modes, Far North Cameroon Region.
Joseph Kessel Pombe1, Haman Djalo2, Beda Tibi3, Etienne Tchoffo Houdji4, and Steven Heugang Ndjanda5
1 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 814, Cameroon
2 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 405, Cameroon
3 Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, The University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 405, Cameroon
4 The Higher Institute of the Sahel, Department of Renewables Energy, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46, Cameroon
5 The Higher Institute of the Sahel, Department of Renewables Energy, The University of Maroua, P.O. Box 46, Cameroon
Original language: English
Copyright © 2017 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Detailed simulations in aim to evaluated performances of a solar parabolic trough collector under climatic conditions of Cameroon Sahelian Zones was devoted by using a computer program based on one-dimensional flow implicit finite volume method with energy balance. The heat collecting element of the collector was divided into several control volume and heat balance correlations was applied for each control volume of the trough. In other to solve the three linear algebraic equations obtained from the model, the Tri-Diagonal Matrix Algorithm was implemented. At all, the model estimates for a typical day of the least sunny and the sunniest months, the optical and thermal performances of the collector, the solar energy absorbed the useful thermal heat and the heat lost to the ambient. The E-W horizontal traking mode which is getting closer with full tracking mode is assumed to collect high optical efficiency at about 74% during all the seasons. The maximum of outlet temperature of heat transfer fluid obtained at the right end of the absorber tube is about 140°C, 138°C and 80°C during a typical day of the least sunny months and 180°C, 180°C and 90°C during a typical day of the sunniest month respectively for water, air and TherminolVP-1TM synthetic oil used as heat transfer fluid. Outlet temperatures obtained from the model compared with data from Sandia experimental tested collector and from another devoted work show that the model is very suitable to predict the behavior of a solar parabolic trough collector under climatic conditions of Cameroon Sahelian Zones.
Author Keywords: Simulation, finite volume method, tracking modes, Far North Cameroon Region.
How to Cite this Article
Joseph Kessel Pombe, Haman Djalo, Beda Tibi, Etienne Tchoffo Houdji, and Steven Heugang Ndjanda, “Optical and thermal performances of a solar parabolic trough collector under climate conditions of the Cameroon Sahelian Zones,” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 149–165, March 2017.
