Solar Multiple Parabolic Trough System

Please give us the definition of what is meant by Solar Multiple. It is not used in any standard textbook. Do you mean concentration factor? How do you design for a specific solar multiple?

You can read about the solar multiple in SAM's help system. For example, see the Solar Field page for the physical parabolic trough model in the "Sizing the Solar Field" section. That section includes a description of the variable and instructions for choosing its value.

The solar multiple is a way to express the solar field aperture area as a function of the power cycle capacity. A solar multiple of 1 is the aperture area required to deliver sufficient thermal energy to the power cycle to drive it at its nameplate capacity under design conditions. The solar multiple is useful for optimizing the solar field size for a given power cycle capacity and location.

Best regards,
Paul.