Solar Thermal Collector System with Parabolic Collector for Applications in Organic Rankine Cycle: Design, Manufacturing and Testing

Abstract

Generating power using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has the advantage of converting waste energy into useful power. This technology can utilize various low-level heat sources such as biomass, engine waste heat, geothermal and solar, and it significantly reduces thermal pollution as well as the reliance on fossil fuels. In this research, a parabolic collector with a tube length of 18.12 meters was designed and manufactured. The results showed that the parabolic trough can reach a temperature of 56.6℃ with a water flow rate of 0.042kg/s, from an initial temperature of 28.2℃ during a 2-hour test. The average turbine output power was 430.04 W in theoretical calculations and 248.57 W in reality for the ORC system. The highest thermal efficiency was achieved at a turbine inlet temperature of 63.5℃ and a turbine inlet pressure of 10.5 bar, with a value of 4.489%. Overall, using ORC technology can effectively utilize low-level heat sources and contribute to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and thermal pollution.