A numerical analysis of a high temperature solar collecting tube, using helium as an heat transfer fluid

This article analyses the use of a gas as a heat transfer fluid in the absorber tube. The fluid dynamics of the gas in the pipe, the heat-transfer in the system and the stresses and deformations of the pipe structure have been simulated numerically. The resulting flow characteristics, temperature distributions and stresses for a reference test case are discussed, and some possible solutions to enhance the system performance are analyzed