Reducing the optical end losses of a linear Fresnel reflector using novel techniques

Abstract

The objective of this work is the investigation of some alternative ideas for enhancing the optical performance of a linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) with North-South orientation. More specifically, the examined methods aim to reduce the optical end losses which are crucial for the short LFR plants in particular during the winter period. The first studied idea is the extension of the receiver after the concentrator which is able to enhance the yearly mean incident angle modifier up to 50.3%. The second examined idea is the displacement of the receiver in order to eliminate the non-illuminated area at the beginning of the receiver. This idea proved that the mean yearly incident angle modifier can be enhanced up it 20.2% for a displacement equal to 20% of the concentrator length. The third examined idea is the hybrid design with the extended and displayed receiver in combined. This idea leads to intermediates enhancements compared to the previous cases but its advantage is the lower investment cost compared to the simple receiver extension case. The analysis is performed with a developed optical model in SolidWorks Flow Simulation and the yearly evaluation has been done for the location of Athens (Greece).