Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator
Enhancing the thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs) is critical for developing efficient solar energy systems. Traditional PTSCs use circular absorber tubes, which limit heat transfer due to poor fluid mixing. This study introduces a novel flat absorber tube with a plus-sh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25010032 |
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| author | Attia Boudjemline Ali B.M. Ali S.A.M. Mehryan A.I. Ismail Ibrahim Mahariq Nidhal Ben Khedher |
| author_facet | Attia Boudjemline Ali B.M. Ali S.A.M. Mehryan A.I. Ismail Ibrahim Mahariq Nidhal Ben Khedher |
| author_sort | Attia Boudjemline |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enhancing the thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs) is critical for developing efficient solar energy systems. Traditional PTSCs use circular absorber tubes, which limit heat transfer due to poor fluid mixing. This study introduces a novel flat absorber tube with a plus-shaped twisted turbulator (PSTT) to improve performance. The PSTT induces swirling flows, enhancing fluid mixing and reducing thermal resistance. Two PSTT configurations—simple and perforated—are evaluated, with variations in pitch lengths (160–20 mm), clearances (0.75–0.05 mm), and hole diameters (1–5 mm). A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, using the RNG k-ε turbulence model coupled with the energy equation, analyzes thermal and hydraulic performance. Results show that the flat tube alone increased the heat transfer rate by 43.9 % compared to a standard circular tube, with a 67 % increase in pressure drop, yielding a 21.1 % improvement in the thermal performance factor (TEF). Incorporating the PSTT further improves performance, with the optimal configuration (pitch: 40 mm, clearance: 0.05 mm, hole diameter: 4 mm) achieving a maximum TEF of 2.7. These findings highlight the flat absorber tube with PSTT as a promising design for significantly enhancing PTSC thermal efficiency, paving the way for advanced solar thermal systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8e54088ea5f14deaafc422fbbda4a182 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-8e54088ea5f14deaafc422fbbda4a1822025-08-20T03:08:33ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-09-017310674310.1016/j.csite.2025.106743Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulatorAttia Boudjemline0Ali B.M. Ali1S.A.M. Mehryan2A.I. Ismail3Ibrahim Mahariq4Nidhal Ben Khedher5Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, Saudi ArabiaAir Conditioning Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Karbala, IraqDepartment of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, A.C., P.O. Box 16765-1719, Tehran, Iran; Corresponding author.Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Architecture, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Mathematics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India; Najjad Zeenni Faculty of Engineering, Al Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine; University College, Korea University, Seoul, 02481, South Korea; Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Applied Science Research Center, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan; Corresponding author. Department of Mathematics, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, 602105, Tamil Nadu, India.Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, 81451, Ha'il City, Saudi ArabiaEnhancing the thermal performance of parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs) is critical for developing efficient solar energy systems. Traditional PTSCs use circular absorber tubes, which limit heat transfer due to poor fluid mixing. This study introduces a novel flat absorber tube with a plus-shaped twisted turbulator (PSTT) to improve performance. The PSTT induces swirling flows, enhancing fluid mixing and reducing thermal resistance. Two PSTT configurations—simple and perforated—are evaluated, with variations in pitch lengths (160–20 mm), clearances (0.75–0.05 mm), and hole diameters (1–5 mm). A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model, using the RNG k-ε turbulence model coupled with the energy equation, analyzes thermal and hydraulic performance. Results show that the flat tube alone increased the heat transfer rate by 43.9 % compared to a standard circular tube, with a 67 % increase in pressure drop, yielding a 21.1 % improvement in the thermal performance factor (TEF). Incorporating the PSTT further improves performance, with the optimal configuration (pitch: 40 mm, clearance: 0.05 mm, hole diameter: 4 mm) achieving a maximum TEF of 2.7. These findings highlight the flat absorber tube with PSTT as a promising design for significantly enhancing PTSC thermal efficiency, paving the way for advanced solar thermal systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25010032Parabolic trough solar collectorPlus-shaped twisted turbulatorHeat transferPressure drop |
| spellingShingle | Attia Boudjemline Ali B.M. Ali S.A.M. Mehryan A.I. Ismail Ibrahim Mahariq Nidhal Ben Khedher Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Parabolic trough solar collector Plus-shaped twisted turbulator Heat transfer Pressure drop |
| title | Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator |
| title_full | Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator |
| title_short | Enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus-shaped turbulator |
| title_sort | enhanced heat transfer in parabolic trough using novel perforated plus shaped turbulator |
| topic | Parabolic trough solar collector Plus-shaped twisted turbulator Heat transfer Pressure drop |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25010032 |
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