SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS

Low Temp. (T ~ 40 100 deg C)

Water Heating
Space Heating
Cooking Liquid Flat Plate Collector
Drying Flat plate Air Heater
Air Conditioning &
Refrigeration
Distillation
Medium Temp. (T ~ 100 - 350 deg C)
Low pressure steam Liquid Flat Plate Collector
Power Generation
High Temp. (T > 350 deg C)
Power Generation Cylindrical Parabolic Trough Collector
Furnace for metal melting Linear Reflecting Concentrator
(Heliostats sun trackers)
Solar thermal flat plate collectors
One of the simplest, and
most cost effective
renewable energy
systems for small scale
installation is a solar
thermal collector
Direct conversion of solar
radiation into heat, stored
as hot water
Used for domestic hot
water supply and space
heating up to district
heating scale.
Heat Gain from Solar Thermal
Collection
A simple flat plate collector consists of an absorber surface which
absorbs the insolation and transmits it to a working fluid (usually air
or water).

The useful heat gained can be expressed as: Q
u
= m C
p
(T
o
- T
i
)
Desirable Cover Material Properties
High transmittance () in the visible spectrum, e.g. glass
Resistant to breakage, e.g. Tedlar, Mylar, Teflon film
Low transmittance in infrared region
Low thermal conductivity if possible.
Thermally stable under stagnation
UV stable, Low weight & cost
Low heat absorption
Use of double cover reduces convection
Use of anti-reflection film on cover plate
Transmittance () of visible light through
selected cover materials
Desirable Absorber Material Properties
High absorbtance () for short thermal radiation
Good thermal conductivity, e.g. copper
Low emissivity to long wavelengths
Thermally stable under stagnation
Durable & low weight
Economic
Radiative properties of selected
absorber surfaces
Minimising Absorber Losses (U
L
)
Absorber Insulation - Desirable
Properties

Lightweight - eases installation and
minimises on-site time & costs.

Physically robust - especially at
elevated temperatures during
operation and possible summer
stagnation - ensures consistent
thermal performance. Must also
tolerate freezing temperatures in
more temperate climates.

Environmentally benign
Aerogel Insulation
SOLAR FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR-SCHEMATIC
Absorbed energy = A. I. .
Total heat losses = A. U
L
. (T
p
T
a
)
HEAT TRANSFER PROCESSES IN FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR
Optimising Heat Removal
Poor heat removal
Higher return temperature
increases heat loss
Reduced efficiency
Reduced energy consumption
of pump
Good heat removal
Lower return temperature
reduces heat loss
Improved efficiency
Increased energy consumption
of pump
Storage capacity & Collector Inlet Temperature
All solar heated water is used.
Capacity of tank ensures water
at base of tank still cool to
minimise return temperature.
Also requires good heat removal.
All solar heated water is used
but reduced capacity of tank
allows temperature of water at
based of tank to rise minimising
heat removal capability.
Performance/Design Recommendations
Useful heat gain = Q
u
= A F
R
[I(.) - U
L
(T
p
- T
a
)]
(energy balance equation)
Ambient
SOLAR COLLECTORS - EFFICIENCIES

It has been observed that flow rate does not significantly affect the
efficiency of a liquid collector but air flow rate has a significant influence
on the air collectors performance.

Liquid collectors are more efficient than the air collectors at the same
inlet temperature, ambient temperature, and solar radiation levels.

Performance evaluation also requires attention to other components in the
system, mainly insulation of various components like pipes, storage tank,
etc.
ADVANTAGES OF FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS

(i) Use both direct and diffused radiation

(ii) Do not require adjustment in orientation towards sun
the way concentrating collectors require

(iii) Require little maintenance

(iv) Are mechanically simpler than concentrating collectors
Active and Passive System
Active System Passive System
More efficient Requires more elaborate arrangement
Does not work well in low sun intensity
Evacuated Tube
Flat
Curved Tubular
Evacuated Tube
In an evacuated-tube collector, sunlight enters through the outer glass
tube and strikes the absorber, where the energy is converted to heat.
The heat is transferred to the liquid flowing through the absorber.
The collector consists of rows of parallel transparent glass tubes, each of
which contains an absorber covered with a selective coating.
The absorber typically is of tin-tube design
Evacuated-tube collectors are modulartubes can be added or removed
as hot-water needs change.
FP vs ET
Evacuated-tube collectors are
typically more efficient at higher
temperatures than flat-plate
collectors.
ET perform well in both direct and
diffuse solar radiation.
The vacuum minimizes heat losses
to the outdoors, makes these
collectors particularly useful in
areas with cold, cloudy winters.
Circular shape of the evacuated
tube, sunlight is perpendicular to
the absorber for most of the day.
For comparison, in a flat-plate
collector that is in a fixed
position, the sun is only
perpendicular to the collector
at noon
E-
FP vs ET
Flat plates have longer life but Evacuated Tube systems are
modular

Evacuated-tube collectors are also more expensive.

Flat Plate uses tempered glass while Evacuated Tube use
borosilicate or soda lime glass.

Evacuated-tube collectors are more appropriate for most
commercial and industrial applications due to the
extremely high temperatures they can achieve (170-
350F).