Design of solar parabolic trough collector by FEM

Structural optimum design of the collector was presented in this paper by using finite element software ABAQUS incorporated with genetic optimal algorithms. In the optimization of trusses, cross-sectional areas of members were considered as variables and the maximum node displacement was used as the constraint in genetic algorithms. The bending and torsion failure models concerning on the optical accuracy were established for the trough collector. The conversion from the wind load into the dead load was acted on the collector. The stress and displacement for the collector were obtained under 6th level gale, 8th level gale and 10th level gale, respectively with a range of pitching angles of 30°, 45° and 90°. The maximum stress and node displacement were obtained under 10th level gale with a pitch angle of 90°. The maximum node displacement occurred near the brim of the parabolic mirror facets. The largest displacement in absorber occurred in the middle. Detailed FEM investigations on the structural behavior were performed to obtain the best possible relationship between optical accuracy and collector cost under various load cases, such as dead load, wind loads for a range of pitching angles of the collector and wind directions, for alternate designs, complex computer modeling and ray tracing..