Design and Fabrication of Parabolic

Trough for Domestic Water Heating:

Group Members
Irfan Ahmed BSME-015-021
Muhammad Abdullah BSME-015-023
Mirza Abdul Khaliq BSME-015-017
Supervisor:
Engr. Imtiaz Khalid
Co-Supervisor:
Engr. Shehzad Yousaf
 MOTIVATION BEHIND THE PROJECT
Background:
Solar power is the flow of energy from the sun. The primary forms of solar
energy are heat and light. The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of solar
radiation.
• Solar collector: A device designed for harnessing the energy from the
sun, which is in the form of solar radiation by converting it into useful heat.
• Parabolic trough: Its a solar collector, which is modified form of solar
collector for better efficiency.
Motivation:
Today the world trends towards the non-conventional energy sources such
as solar energy which is replacing the repercussions resulted from the using
of non-conventional energy. The biggest advantages of solar energy is that:
• It can provide without any environmental pollution.
• It is cheap as compared to other sources.
• Installation cost and maintenance cost is low.
 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF STUDY
Scope of Study:
Parabola:
In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror symmetrical and is
approximately U-shaped. A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal collector that is
straight in one dimension and curved as a parabola in the other two lined with a polished
metal mirror. The sunlight which enters the mirror parallel to its plane of symmetry is
faced along the focal line.
Advantages and disadvantages of solar systems:
• The solar systems have a low environmental impact, and one of the most important
benefits is that it doesn’t have emissions like CO2 or other toxic gases or radioactive
material, like the ones that are produced by the current systems used to produce
energy.
• The costs of these energy systems consist only of the construction and maintenance of
the plant, the source of energy is free and in theory unlimited. The environmental
impact of these systems is practically zero. Some of the disadvantages are that these
systems can only be installed in areas in which the solar radiation is longer during the
days and during the year. They are also less efficient than the current energy systems.
These systems can be a combination of solar and non solar systems.
 LITERATURE REVIEW
• Qu and Wang [1] Constructed and studied a parabolic trough system that
operates in medium temperature and it is observed in the practical
experiment where the peak efficiency reaches 70%.
• Donald Jeremy Gaitan et al. [2] Design ,Construction, and Test of a miniature
Parabolic Trough Solar Concentrator.
• Solar energy technology and systems (book) by K.Jager,M.zeman et. all.
 Expected Outcomes
• Aim is to focus the sunlight on a smaller area. A central heat pipe placed
is exactly at the center of parabolic trough. When the reflected sunlight
focuses onto the heat pipe its temperature rises.
• Water will be passed through this heat pipe, as a result the temperature of
water increases.
• As an expected outcome we will be able to provide domestic heating for
single household.
• Temperature of 60 degrees per centigrade will be achieved.
• Although parabolic trough collector have a range of 60-250 degree per
centigrade.
Project Timeline (Gantt Chart):
Parabolic trough for domestic water heating:
Design parameters:

• Length of parabolic collector : 1.5 meter

• Width or height : 1 meter.
• Aperture area : A=length*width
1.5*1=1.5 meter.
 Conclusions
The basic principle of solar thermal collection is that when solar radiation is
incident on a surface part of this radiation is absorbed, thus increasing the
temperature of the surface. As the temperature of the body increases.