Parabolic collectors

From the point of view of the application the most important parameters to consider are the collection efficiency and the angle of acceptance.
The collection efficiency is the relationship between the light focused on the absorber and the light received in the entrance aperture of the collector.
The acceptance angle is the maximum tilt angle to which the collection efficiency remains approximately to the maximum value, presenting minimal energy losses.

Starting from the basic configuration has been studied the effect of different causes of possible defects:

Deformations of the parabola
Defocusing of the tube
Pointing error
Alignment error.