Investigation on Thermal and Hydraulic Performances of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector

Theoretical investigation on the thermal performance of a parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) for a fixed water flow rate (0.04 kg/s) and theoretical investigation on heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop at the outlet of the absorber tube with the inserted twisted tape (TT) with twist ratio (Y) 3, 6, 10, 12 for the water flow rate 0.04-.11 kg/s were performed. The Reynolds number (Re) ranged from 3,100 to 9,600 and the swirl flow Reynolds number (Resw) is varied from 6,400 to12,300 respectively. The theoretical data of friction factor are validated with those published previously for the plain absorber tube. The values of Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f) were observed much higher than those calculated from plain absorber tube one