Simulation and Parametric Studies of a Linear Fresnel Solar Concentrator Using Air As HTF for Agricultural Drying Applications

To ensure long-term energetic security and stability, it is necessary to work and develop in diversification, availability, profitability, and accessibility to several energy sources, which can be directly applied to all strategic sectors of the society, for example, the agricultural sector. Solar concentrators are devices designed to harness solar energy and convert the solar radiation into heat that can be used by solar dryers. The solar dryer is a technology that can be easily deployed and adopted in rural areas due to its energy efficiency and minimal environmental footprint. This paper develops a simulation model and parametric studies of a linear-Fresnel-solar-concentrator using air as HTF for agricultural drying applications, specifically to dry mango in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Parametric analyses are performed to evaluate the thermal behavior of the linear-Fresnel-concentrator based in inlet-solar-radiation, the number of primary reflective mirrors, length of the receptive cavity and HTF mass-flux. These studies have shown that the model reaches an equilibrium point with 14 primary reflective mirrors with a length of 7 meters each. Additionally, when there is a flux increase in the HTF, a linear correlation between mass-flux and temperature appears, and for inlet-solar-radiation there is a quadratic correlation.