The Indian subcontinent is blessed with an ample amount of sunlight almost all through the year. There is an urgent need of switching over to a perennial source of energy as an alternative to replace all the quickly depleting fossil fuels. There is much interest in non-conventional energy nowadays, so as to tap energy from unassuming but promising quarters like Solar, Wind and Tidal energy. Of those, tapping the heat and infra-red rays from the sun, using air and water as appropriate mediums, separately and together as a whole, is the most easiest and versatile way of energy capture.
This book is concerned with the designing of an efficient solar parabolic collector to trap the solar heat in the receiver through the combination of concave mirrors. A small scale parabolic dish was fabricated with locally available material like stainless steel for the boiler, and painting it black to increase the absorption. As a matter of application of the project, a solar desalination system was integrated with the project to test the feasibility of the research. The desalination system worked successfully in conjunction with the experimental setup and a reduction in the TDS level of the feed water was observed at the condensation end. Thus, the project is feasible for cleaning or purifying the water by renewable sources.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to solar parabolic concentrator and solar desalination system
1.1: Global Energy Consumption and need for renewable energy
1.2: Solar Concentrator
1.2.1: Solar Photovoltaic
1.2.2: Classification of Solar Concentrator
1.2.2.1: Fresnel lens Concentrator
1.2.2.2: Parabolic Mirrors
1.3: Parameter characterizing solar concentrator
1.3.1: Aperture Area
1.3.2: Acceptance angle
1.3.3: Absorber area
1.3.4: Concentration ratio
1.3.5: Optical efficiency
1.4: Solar desalination
1.4.1: Classification of solar desalination
Chapter 2: Project Strategy
2.1: Scope of project
2.2: Objectives
2.3: Problem Statement
2.4: Limitations
2.5: Literature Review
2.6: Data Gathering
2.7: Methodology
Chapter 3: Design and development of the model
3.1: Design
3.1.1: Designing of a Solar Parabolic Concentrator
3.1.2: Designing of a Solar Desalination System
3.2: Model Development
3.2.1: Instruments and Equipments
3.2.1.1: Thermometer
3.2.1.2: Digital Solarimeter
3.2.1.3: TDS meter
3.2.2: Material and Specification
3.2.2.1: Receiver
3.2.2.1: Support stand
3.2.2.3: Support frame
3.2.2.4: Mirrors
3.2.2.5: Delivery tubes
Chapter 4: Working of the model
4.1: Solar Parabolic Concentrator
4.1.1: Manual Tracking Mechanism
4.1.2: Boiler
4.2: Solar Desalination System
4.2.1: Solar Desalinating Kit
Chapter 5: Results and findings
5.1: Data gathering for solar parabolic concentrator
5.2: Graphs plotted
5.3: TDS reading for Solar Desalination System
5.4: Application
5.4.1: Solar TEA
5.4.2: 15 Minutes to Solar MAGGI
Conclusion
Project Objective and Scope
The primary objective of this research is to design and develop an efficient, cost-effective solar parabolic concentrator integrated with a desalination system to purify brackish or impure water without relying on electricity or non-eco-friendly energy sources. The study explores the feasibility of using thermal energy for water purification and culinary applications, validated through practical experimentation and analysis of temperature and water quality parameters.
- Design of a small-scale parabolic solar collector using locally available materials.
- Integration of a solar desalination system to test water purification performance.
- Development of a manual two-axis tracking mechanism to optimize solar radiation capture.
- Evaluation of thermal performance using different receiver types and boiler surface treatments (polished vs. black-painted).
- Assessment of purified water quality via Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) measurements.
Excerpt from the Book
1.2 Solar Concentrator
Solar concentrators increase the amount of incident energy on the absorber surface as compare to that on the concentrator aperture as shown in figure 1.1. The increase is achieved by the use of reflecting or refracting surfaces which concentrate the incident radiation onto a suitable absorber. Due to the apparent motion of the sun, the concentrating surface is unable to redirect the sun rays on the absorber throughout the day if both the concentrating surface and the absorber surface are stationary. Ideally, the concentrating system should follow the sun so that the sun rays are always focused on to the absorber. Therefore, a solar concentrator generally consists mainly of:
(1) a focusing device,
(2) an absorber/receiver provided with or without a transparent cover, and
(3) a tracking device for continuously following the sun.
Temperature as high as 3000°C have been achieved with such devices. Solar concentrators are used for thermal as well as photovoltaic conversion of solar energy. Solar concentrators have the following advantages:
1. higher delivery temperature resulting in better thermodynamic efficiency
2. Reduced losses due to reduced heat loss area
3. Reduced cost due to less material requirements compared to flat plate solar collector system
4. Storing heat at higher temperature results in reducing the storage cost.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction to solar parabolic concentrator and solar desalination system: Provides a background on global energy demand, the necessity for renewable alternatives like solar power, and foundational concepts regarding solar concentrators and desalination technologies.
Chapter 2: Project Strategy: Outlines the scope, objectives, and problem statement of the project, while providing a review of existing literature on solar stills and desalination systems.
Chapter 3: Design and development of the model: Describes the technical design process, material specifications, and the instrumentation used to build the parabolic concentrator and the desalination setup.
Chapter 4: Working of the model: Details the practical operation of the parabolic concentrator, including manual tracking mechanisms and the process of steam generation and condensation within the desalination unit.
Chapter 5: Results and findings: Presents the gathered data on solar radiation, temperature performance of different boilers, and TDS levels of water, alongside culinary applications like tea preparation.
Keywords
Solar energy, Parabolic concentrator, Desalination, Renewable energy, Thermal heating, Boiler, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), Solar tracking, Evaporation, Condensation, Sustainable development, Mirror collector, Water purification, Stainless steel, Thermal efficiency
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core purpose of this research?
The research focuses on the design and development of a low-cost, portable solar parabolic concentrator integrated with a desalination system to provide a clean water supply using only renewable solar energy.
What are the primary fields of study involved in this project?
The project sits at the intersection of thermal engineering, renewable energy systems, and water treatment technologies.
What is the main research objective?
The primary goal is to validate the feasibility of using solar parabolic concentrators to generate sufficient thermal energy for distilling brackish water and performing general tasks like boiling liquids.
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The project utilized an experimental design methodology: designing the concentrator via CAD software, fabricating the unit with locally available materials, and testing its performance in various weather conditions over a 20-day period.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the design parameters of parabolic mirrors, the manual tracking mechanism to compensate for solar movement, the comparative performance of different boiler surfaces (polished vs. black), and the TDS reduction results in the desalination process.
What are the essential keywords characterizing this study?
Key terms include solar parabolic concentrator, water desalination, solar tracking, thermal energy, TDS, and renewable energy applications.
How does the black surface treatment affect the system's performance?
The study found that painting the boiler black significantly improved the absorptivity of the receiver, leading to higher boiling temperatures compared to a standard stainless steel polished surface.
Why was a manual tracking mechanism chosen instead of an automated one?
A manual tracking system was implemented to keep the project economically feasible and simple to operate, avoiding the added complexity and cost of automated solar tracking systems.
What were the specific challenges encountered in the condensation process?
Converting the generated steam into liquid without using complex electrical heat exchangers was identified as a challenge, which was addressed using natural cooling and external cold water spraying techniques.
- Citar trabajo
- Debajyoti Bose (Autor), Krishnam Goyal (Autor), Vidushi Bhardwaj (Autor), 2016, Design and development of a solar parabolic concentrator and integration with a solar desalination system, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/377110
