An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces
Abstract The growing demand for renewable energy sources has made solar energy an ideal choice due to its unlimited and readily available nature. Direct and indirect absorption parabolic solar collectors are widely used to harness solar energy for water heating in laboratory and industrial applicati...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92689-z |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850039673890537472 |
|---|---|
| author | Amirhossein Edalatpour S. M. Hosseinalipour Mahdi Moghimi |
| author_facet | Amirhossein Edalatpour S. M. Hosseinalipour Mahdi Moghimi |
| author_sort | Amirhossein Edalatpour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The growing demand for renewable energy sources has made solar energy an ideal choice due to its unlimited and readily available nature. Direct and indirect absorption parabolic solar collectors are widely used to harness solar energy for water heating in laboratory and industrial applications. In this research, modifications were made to the absorber tube to enhance the efficiency of a Direct Absorption Parabolic Trough Collector (DAPTC). Fiber laser processing is applied to copper surfaces placed at the center of the absorber tube. The spectroscopy technique was used to analyze the main laser parameters, including frequency, speed, and power. It was determined that applying a laser with a frequency of 20 kHz, a speed of 20 mm/s, and 80% of the power of a 30 W laser machine significantly reduces surface reflection. Various patterns, including horizontal lines, vertical lines, and circle patterns, were engraved on the surfaces to evaluate their impact on heat transfer and thermal efficiency improvement. The findings are presented based on an experimental approach, wherein a system was constructed to investigate these effects, and the relevant considerations are discussed. The results indicate that using an unprocessed copper surface increases the thermal efficiency of the collector by up to 32.83%. When laser-processed surfaces with different patterns are used, this increase reaches up to 38.99%. The maximum pressure drop across these surfaces is reported to be 247 Pa, and the performance index ranges between 0.84 and 1.06, indicating the effective operation of the collector using these surfaces. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d3d36a80ce814b66ab9e7b64d44c3fa1 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-d3d36a80ce814b66ab9e7b64d44c3fa12025-08-20T02:56:16ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115112110.1038/s41598-025-92689-zAn experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfacesAmirhossein Edalatpour0S. M. Hosseinalipour1Mahdi Moghimi2Energy, Water and Environment Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and TechnologyEnergy, Water and Environment Research Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Energy Conversion, School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and TechnologyAbstract The growing demand for renewable energy sources has made solar energy an ideal choice due to its unlimited and readily available nature. Direct and indirect absorption parabolic solar collectors are widely used to harness solar energy for water heating in laboratory and industrial applications. In this research, modifications were made to the absorber tube to enhance the efficiency of a Direct Absorption Parabolic Trough Collector (DAPTC). Fiber laser processing is applied to copper surfaces placed at the center of the absorber tube. The spectroscopy technique was used to analyze the main laser parameters, including frequency, speed, and power. It was determined that applying a laser with a frequency of 20 kHz, a speed of 20 mm/s, and 80% of the power of a 30 W laser machine significantly reduces surface reflection. Various patterns, including horizontal lines, vertical lines, and circle patterns, were engraved on the surfaces to evaluate their impact on heat transfer and thermal efficiency improvement. The findings are presented based on an experimental approach, wherein a system was constructed to investigate these effects, and the relevant considerations are discussed. The results indicate that using an unprocessed copper surface increases the thermal efficiency of the collector by up to 32.83%. When laser-processed surfaces with different patterns are used, this increase reaches up to 38.99%. The maximum pressure drop across these surfaces is reported to be 247 Pa, and the performance index ranges between 0.84 and 1.06, indicating the effective operation of the collector using these surfaces.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92689-zSolar collectorSolar energyParabolic trough collectorDirect absorption collectorLaser processing |
| spellingShingle | Amirhossein Edalatpour S. M. Hosseinalipour Mahdi Moghimi An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces Scientific Reports Solar collector Solar energy Parabolic trough collector Direct absorption collector Laser processing |
| title | An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces |
| title_full | An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces |
| title_fullStr | An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces |
| title_full_unstemmed | An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces |
| title_short | An experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser-processed copper surfaces |
| title_sort | experimental analysis of the performance of direct absorption parabolic trough collectors with laser processed copper surfaces |
| topic | Solar collector Solar energy Parabolic trough collector Direct absorption collector Laser processing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92689-z |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amirhosseinedalatpour anexperimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces AT smhosseinalipour anexperimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces AT mahdimoghimi anexperimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces AT amirhosseinedalatpour experimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces AT smhosseinalipour experimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces AT mahdimoghimi experimentalanalysisoftheperformanceofdirectabsorptionparabolictroughcollectorswithlaserprocessedcoppersurfaces |