TRUNCATION EFFECTS OF OPTICAL PERFORMANCE FOR DIFFERENT SOLAR GEOMETRICAL- CONCENTRATORS

The height of a solar concentrator significantly influences the performance of a 3-D solar concentrator. Truncated concentrators offer a higher acceptance angle, making them suitable for capturing sunlight from varying sun inclinations. To improve understanding of the geometrical-optical performance of six different concentrators, this paper examines truncation of the aperture may affect optical performance for the top 20% of ideal concentrators. Although using truncated concentrators may result in lower concentration ratios, they compensate with high optical efficiency and exceptional performance across a wide range of solar angle. These configurations include the Elliptical Parabolic Concentrator (EPC), Circular Parabolic Concentrator (CCPC), Square Parabolic Concentrator (SPC), Elliptical Hyperboloid Concentrator (EHC), Circular Hyperboloid Concentrator (CHC), and Square Hyperboloid Concentrator (SHC). This study compares commonly used optical elements with newer concentrator designs based on their optical performance. A detailed analysis utilizing ray tracing techniques identifies key parameters that influence the overall performance of these concentrators. For instance, the CCPC achieves 92% acceptance at ±10º, while the Square Parabolic Concentrator (SPC) accepts approximately 77% at ±15º. The Elliptical Parabolic Concentrator (EPC) reaches about 29% at ±30º. Similarly, for hyperboloid profiles, some light ray’s incident on the aperture area of each Circular Hyperboloid Concentrator (CHC) also reach the receiver for incidence angles between ±15º. However, the angular acceptance varies above ±15º due to differences in the reflector surface geometry. For example, the CHC attains 27% acceptance at ±15º, while the Square Hyperboloid Concentrator (SHC) achieves about 39% at the same angle. The Elliptical Hyperboloid Concentrator (EHC) reaches approximately 30% at ±30º.