A Vegetable Oil as Heat Transfer Fluid for Parabolic Trough Collector: Dynamic Performance Analysis under Ouagadougou Climate Conditions †

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Résumé

In this study, the thermal performance of the parabolic trough collector (PTC) has been
addressed under Ouagadougou climate conditions. Thus, after developing a model, the effect of mass
flow on PTC performance showed that the Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) temperature difference increases
when the mass flow rate (m. ) decreases while the thermal efficiency (ηth) increases. For m. of 1 kg s−1,
a collector length of 46.8 m or collection area of 230 m2 is required to obtain an outlet temperature of
210 ◦C with an average ηth of 82.69%. This paper can support the decision for a demonstration plant
implementation regarding JCO use in the CSP plant.

Mots-clés

collector; vegetable oil; thermal performance