Effect of two-axis sun tracking on the performance of compound parabolic concentrators

An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of using a two-axis sun tracking system on the thermal performance of compound parabolic concentrators (CPC). An electromechanical two-axis tracking system and two identical CPC collectors were designed and constructed for the purpose of the investigation. Two cases were examined: in the first, a batch feeding was used where no flow through the collector was allowed; in the second, different steady water flow rates were used. In both cases, the variations of water temperature in the systems were monitored. The tracking CPC collector showed a better performance with an increase in the collected energy of up to 75% compared with an identical fixed collector. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.