Performance of concentrated solar collectors: Studying the absorber pipe outlet temperature variations

Concentrated Solar Collectors are effective in collecting high thermal energy and contributing in electricity generation. This study adopted simulation approach by CFD analysis in determining the performance of concentrated solar collectors. The system is modeled and analyzed using ANSYS Fluent. Absorber pipe was modeled. Four cases of heat flux were studied and the temperature variations on the centerline of pipe volume were observed. The results were analyzed by temperature readings and temperature contour at the outlet. The trend of temperature variations observed reassembled a linear regime along the length of the absorber pipe.