Numerical simulation of a parabolic trough solar collector with nonuniform solar flux conditions by coupling FVM and MCRT method

► A more detailed three-dimensional model of PTC was proposed by combining FVM and MCRT method. ► Corresponding codes and solving methods were developed and applied to an LS2 PTC. ► Numerical results proved that the model and method is feasible and reliable. ► More details of the characteristics in the receiver were revealed and discussed. ► Typical HTF types and residual gas conditions were further studied. In this paper, a more detailed three-dimensional computational model of the whole parabolic trough solar collector (PTC) system and corresponding numerical simulations by combining the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and the Monte Carlo Ray-Trace (MCRT) method were presented. Corresponding codes and solving methods were also developed and applied to simulate and analyze the total involuted photo-thermal conversion process of an experimental LS2 PTC system. The numerical results were compared with experimental data and good agreement was obtained, proving that the model and method used in the present study is feasible and reliable. More details of the characteristics of solar concentrating, solar collecting, fluid dynamics, coupled heat transfer and the whole flow and temperature fields in the receiver were also revealed and discussed. Then some typical heat transfer fluid (HTF) types and residual gas conditions were further studied. It was revealed that the properties of these HTFs/conditions and their varying relations of the fluid temperature affected the characteristics of fluid dynamics, coupled heat transfer and the whole temperature distributions in the receiver, thus affected the thermal loss and the collector efficiency synthetically.