Study of the Wind-Induced dynamic response for a parabolic- trough solar collector

Abstract EN

In this paper, the dynamic response of parabolic-trough due to wind loading was conducted in different flow field environment and configurations experimentally and numerically.

First, Experimental modal analysis (EMA) was performed to evaluate the vibrational characteristics for prototype of parabolic trough that manufactured for this purpose.

Direct pressure sensors array were used to measure the pressure values over the parabolic trough model surface due to wind load at different operational attitudes.

Then, the dynamic response (displacement) of the parabolic-trough due to measured wind loads (pressure) was measured experimentally and numerically.

The numerical solution for dynamic response was performed using the finite element approach.

The response of the parabolic-trough to wind loads was evaluated for different wind velocities and different angles of attack.

A comparison between these results was made to verify the effect of the angles of attack and wind velocity on the dynamic response.

The results showed that the suggested approach gave good indication for evaluating the wind load effect on the dynamic response of parabolic trough the solar collector.