Research Progress of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Based on Numerical Simulation

The research progress of numerical simulation of parabolic trough solar collector was introduced. Especially the numerical simulation studies of the internal flow field in the collector tube and the external flow field of the concentrator were reviewed. In the study of the internal flow field in the collector tube, the type of heat transfer fluids and the characteristics of optical concentration have a significant effect on the heat collection performance and thermal stress distribution, especially in the water/steam medium heat collection loop. The unique gas-liquid two- phase flow superposition of the non-uniform heat flux distribution outside the tube may lead to serious thermal stress bending deformation of the collector tube. In the study of the external flow field of the concentrator, due to the high actual wind speed and the low structural strength of the ultra-thin lens, the concentrator is subjected to wind load deformation, resulting in the loss of optical efficiency, and even leading to the failure of the parabolic trough collector structure, which directly affects the normal operation of the whole collector field.