A MUSER-CURZON-AHLBORN ENGINE MODEL FOR PHOTOTHERMAL CONVERSION

We study a photothermal engine resulting from a combination of a Muser engine with an endoreversible Curzon-Ahlbom cycle. This model was pro posed by De Vos as an approach to a certain class of photothermal conv ersion devices. We analyse that engine with and without solar concentr ators. We find that typical performance quantities such as the power o utput, entropy production, engine efficiency and solar conversion effi ciency are functions both of the collector's temperature and of the co ncentration factor. For the case of an engine with concentrators, we f ind that there is an optimum value for the concentration factor if one wishes to maximize both the solar energy efficiency and a parameter m easuring a compromise between the engine's efficiency and the solar co nversion efficiency.