Dynamic model of a parabolic trough solar concentrator with a water displacement mechanism.

Abstract: This paper presents a three-dimensional mathematical model for determining the dynamic behavior of a parabolic trough solar concentrator of one degree of freedom, with a water displacement mechanism capable of minimize the angle of incidence (angle between the sun's rays irradiated on a surface and the line normal to this surface). This mathematical model allows the calculation of the angle of inclination of the collecting surface and the forces acting on the system. The validity of the proposed mathematical model is verified experimentally on two solar concentrators of different dimension. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]