Parabolic Troughs: Design and Applications

Parabolic Troughs: Design and Applications first provides a concise description of the parabolic-trough collectors that are currently in use and the prototypes that are under development. It also presents various possibilities for their applications in wastewater treatment, using solar energy as the driving force of the system. Following this, the authors present a review of the control techniques applied to parabolic solar trough plants, as well as modeling approaches used to describe the behavior of these plants. The general equations for modeling the solar plant are presented as, well as a simple approach used for the commercial solar trough plants of Mojave. In closing, the authors introduce different conventional and novel sustainable techniques for cleaning the mirrors in commercial plants. These technologies will then be compared in terms of their cleaning effectiveness, environmental impact and economic aspects to give the reader a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each technology.