A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal collector used to harness solar energy for various applications, primarily electricity generation. It consists of a long, curved, reflective surface in the shape of a parabola, typically made of glass or polished metal, with a receiver tube running along its focal line. This design allows the trough to concentrate sunlight onto the receiver tube, which contains a fluid such as oil or molten salt. As sunlight hits the reflective surface, it is focused onto the receiver, where the fluid absorbs the heat. This heated fluid is then used to generate steam, which drives a turbine connected to an electrical generator, producing electricity. Parabolic troughs are widely used in concentrated solar power (CSP) systems due to their efficiency, reliability, and ability to operate in a wide range of conditions. They are commonly found in large-scale solar power plants in sunny regions around the world.

1. DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF
PARABOLIC TROUGH
COLLECTOR
Group Members:
Zarnain Khan 20jzmec0388
Arfat Muhammad 20jzmec0394
Adnan Khan 20jzmec0414
Maaz Ali 20jzmec0405

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
 People use a lot of energy to heat water in their
homes.
 In summer we can produce steam through this
which is useful for many industrial applications.
 Traditional water heating methods, which often use
fossil fuels or electricity, result in increased energy
costs and harm the environment.
 To solve this, our project will use special parabolic
trough collector to heat water and to produce steam
using sunlight.
 It's an affordable and eco-friendly way to get hot
water and save money.

3. STATUS OF WORK DONE
Literature
Review
(80%)
Calculation
(70%)
Cad (70%)
Simulation
(5%)

4. COMPONENTS SELECTION
Receiver Tube:
 evacuated tube with both end open is used as the solar
radiation receiver tube due to its high efficiency and reliability.
 To reduce the convection.
 Copper Tubes:
 copper is often considered an excellent choice
Material Thermal
Conductivity
Corrosion
Resistance
Ductility
Copper 400 W/m.k Excellent Good
Stainless steel 15 W/m.k Good Poor
Aluminum 237W/m.k Poor Good
Copper tubes

5. COMPONENTS SELECTION
 Solar Radiation Reflector:
 Flexible Pipes:
 Connect the Copper Tubes and the storage tank allowing for
easy fluid circulation. They are made of high-quality, flexible
materials such as rubber and they are insulated.
 Storage Tank insulation material:
Material Reflectivity Durability Cost
Aluminum High Good High
Silver Very High Good High
Polymer
mirrors(Acrylic
Sheet)
High Fair Low
Acrylic Sheet
Material Thermal Conductivity Durability Cost
Aerogel 0.013 W/m.k Good Medium
Polyurethane 0.025 W/m.k Excellent Low

6. COMPONENTS SELECTION
 Shaft:
 12V submersible pump is used For
Circulating fluid.
 Arduino is used for controlling automation
 Digital display is used to show the
temperature at different location.
 Photoresistor sensor unit (LDR) is used for solar tracking.
Material Strength Corrosion
resistance
Cost
Stainless steel High Excellent Medium –
High
Carbon steel High Good Low –
medium
Aluminum Moderate Good Low –
medium

7. PERFORMANCES ANALYSIS
 Analysis of Tracking system:

8. PERFORMANCES ANALYSIS
 Parabolic Profile analysis:

9. PERFORMANCES ANALYSIS:
 Thermal Analysis: INPUTS

10. PERFORMANCES ANALYSIS
 Thermal Analysis: OUTPUTS

If we use Twisted Tapes in absorber tube

11. CAD MODEL( IN PROGRESS)
Storage tank

12. GANTT CHART
No Task
Duration
(weeks)
Academic Weeks(9 OCT 2023 – 3 JUNE 2023)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
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34
1 Idea Selection 2
2 Proposal Submission 2
3 Literature Review 2
4 Problem analysis and
Proposal defense
Presentation
2
5 Design Calculation 4
6 CAD Model 2
7 Simulation 2
8 Material Selection 6
9 Construction 4
10 Experiments on
Physical Model
4
11 Final Report 4
12 FYP Exhibition 4
13 Thesis Submission
and Viva
4