Calculation of the Concentrated Flux Density Distribution in Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrators by Monte Carlo Ray-Trace Method

In this paper, the optical concentration ratio for the parabolic trough solar concentrators (PTSCs), which is a key boundary condition in the heat transfer performance analysis, would be simulated and computed by Monte Carlo Ray-Trace (MCRT) method in different conditions. In the computation process, non-parallelism of solar rays, geometric concentrating ratio and rim angle would be considered. Based on the probability model derived from the solar cone, the distribution of local concentration ratio was obtained. At the same time, defocusing phenomenon and effect of tracking error for the PTSCs would be analyzed and discussed. The results, referring to evaluating the optical performance of PTSCs, present a reference for design and assemblage of the high-performance PTSCs. The ultimate goal is to make PTSCs more cost effective.