Considering the optical performance of the reflector and analyzing heat losses from the receiver, the optimal diameter of the absorber for a PTC(Parabolic Trough Concentrator) system was numerically determined. The results of this study were compared with the results of the IST (Industrial Solar Technology)-PTC test to verify the validity of the model. Good agreement was obtained with the deviation range from 0.4 to 7.7%. Generally, the net energy gained by the receiver shows the maximum at the particular absorber diameter and the specific gap size between the absorber and the glass envelop because the heat losses from the receiver becomes the minimum. The results showed that the conductive and convective heat losses became the minimum when the gap size was 7 to 10mm. Finally, it was known that the optimal absorber diameter was 62mm at $100^{circ}C$, 57mm at $150^{circ}C$, and 53mm at $200^{circ}C$ of the absorber surface temperature, respectively.