Experimental Investigation of a Combined Solar Parabolic Dish and Trough Collector for Wax Melting Application

The increased cost of electrical energy which depletes conventional resources promotes switching over to renewable solar technology. An experimental study of a simple parabolic dish and trough solar collector combination is tested under Chennai weather condition aimed at attracting users rapidly. The set up for domestic wax melting application using pumped water, is described showing the performance. The reflector and receiver were fabricated from polished aluminium sheet and copper respectively. Experimental results showed that the overall performance of the combined parabolic collectors is satisfactory, since the higher temperature of heat transfer fluid is achieved.