Abstract:
In this paper, multi-objective and thermodynamic optimisation procedures are used to investigate the
performance of a parabolic trough receiver with perforated plate inserts. Three dimensionless perforated
plate geometrical parameters considered in the optimisation include the dimensionless orientation
angle, the dimensionless plate diameter and the plate spacing per unit meter. The Reynolds number
varies in the range 1.02 104 Re 1.36 106 depending on the fluid temperature. The multi-objective
optimisation was realised through the combined use of computational fluid dynamics, design of experiments,
response surface methodology and the Non-dominated Sorted Genetic Algorithm-II. For
thermodynamic optimisation, the entropy generation minimisation method was used to determine
configurations with minimum entropy generation rates.
