Analyzes and compares the optical characteristics for two types of solar dish concentrators

Among the most important methods for concentrating the sun’s rays are parabolic and spherical dish concentrators. Various key characteristics determine the optimum performance of any concentrator; consequently, evaluating whether one dish concentrator is superior to others based on these aspects is tricky. The optical designs of spherical and parabolic solar dish concentrators with different diameters were simulated and evaluated in this work. The focus was on aberrations and concentration ratios. The optimum design was then chosen. ZEMAX software was utilized to perform and analyze all design simulations. Based on the results, both spherical and parabolic dish concentrators may display spherical and coma aberrations at normal incidence. Furthermore, these designs have several forms of aberration based on the changing angle of light incidence. The spherical and parabolic dish maximum concentration ratios were 39 and 2629.71, respectively. These discoveries could contribute to the creation of an adequate scientific foundation for future solar dish concentrator designs and applications.