First National Conference on Advances in Mechanical Engineering (NCAME-2011), 20TH - 21st May 2011, UIET,

Panjab University, Chandigarh

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¶ (10
COMPARISION OF FLAT AND EVACUATED TUBE SOLAR COLLECTORS AND
ANALYZING THE BETTER ONE FOR THE DOMESTIC WATER HEATING SOLAR
SYSTEM FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF ELECTRIC
¶ (12 pt)
Singh Amandeep1, Saxena Prashant2 & Kumar Naman3.
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, UIET, Sector-25, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160025. Email: abut
aman_wadhwa77@rediffmail.com
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Sector-12, Chandigarh-160012. Email:
prashant.pec.mech@gmail.com
¶3Department of Electronics Engineering, PEC University of Technology, Sector-12, Chandigarh-160012. Email:
nmnkumar42@gmail.com

Abstract: In the context of an upcoming energy crisis due to the decline of the Oil Era, water problems are expected to
substantially worsen. And vice versa, due to the close relationship between water and energy issues, water problems
are also expected to contribute to increased energy problems. Furthermore, environmental considerations, such as
global warming, will surely add significant pressure. In this scenario, renewable energies are rapidly increasing their
contribution to the global mix, with solar energy clearly having the greatest potential. In this paper we present a
theoretical analysis and comparison of a flat solar thermal collector with an evacuated type solar reflector. The
analysis leads in the determination of which type of solar collector is better for the purpose of domestic water heating
solar system for the replacement of electric geyser in order to save electric energy and to adopt a better renewable form
of solar energy.
Key words: Solar Collectors, Flat Plate Collectors, Evacuated Tube Collectors, Solar Water Heating System.
¶ (10pt)
1. INTRODUCTION approximately 5500 K, giving it a white color, which,
¶ (10pt) because of atmospheric scattering, appears yellow. The
Solar energy can potentially play a very important sun generates its energy by nuclear fusion of hydrogen
role in providing most of the heating, cooling and nuclei to helium. Sunlight is the main source of energy
electricity needs of the world. With the emergence of to the surface of the earth that can be harnessed via a
solar photocatalytic detoxification technology, solar variety of natural and synthetic processes. The most
energy also has the potential to solve our important is photosynthesis, used by plants to capture
environmental problems. Today’s world energy the energy of solar radiation and convert it to chemical
systems, relying on fossil and nuclear fuels, endanger form. Generally, photosynthesis is the synthesis of
the very existence of humanity. The world is faced glucose from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, with
with a crisis that requires a total transformation in the oxygen as a waste product. It is arguably the most
way we create energy, shifting to sustainable energy important known biochemical pathway, and nearly all
that flows freely from the sun, the wind, the tides, and life on earth depends on it. (Lu & Goswami, 2001)
the center of the earth. Sustainable energy is energy Basically all the forms of energy in the world as
which has minimal negative impacts, both in its we know it are solar in origin. Oil, coal, natural gas,
production and consumption, on human health and the and wood were originally produced by photosynthetic
environment, and that can be supplied continuously to processes, followed by complex chemical reactions in
future generations. which decaying vegetation was subjected to very high
Every thirty minutes, enough of the sun’s energy temperatures and pressures over a long period of time.
reaches the earth’s surface to meet global energy Even the energy of the wind and tide has a solar origin,
demand for an entire year. The sun is a fireball of free since they are caused by differences in temperature in
energy that can be harnessed for hot water and various regions of the earth.
temperature control using solar collectors. In addition, Since prehistory, the sun has dried and preserved
solar energy can be used to provide electricity utilizing humankind's food. It has also evaporated sea water to
photovoltaic (PV) technology, which generates yield salt. Since humans began to reason, they have
electricity from sunlight without producing green recognized the sun as a motive power behind every
house gases (GHG’s). (Alireza & Kamran, 2009) natural phenomenon. This is why many of the
The sun is the only star of our solar system located prehistoric tribes considered the sun a god. Many
at its center. The earth and other planets orbit the sun. scripts of ancient Egypt say that the Great Pyramid,
Energy from the sun in the form of solar radiation one of humankind's greatest engineering achievements,
supports almost all life on earth via photosynthesis and was built as a stairway to the sun (Anderson, 1977).
drives the earth's climate and weather. (Lu & From prehistoric times, people realized that a good
Goswami, 2001) use of solar energy is beneficial. The Greek historian
About 74% of the sun's mass is hydrogen, 25% is Xenophon in his "memorabilia" records some of the
helium, and the rest is made up of trace quantities of teachings of the Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399
heavier elements. The sun has a surface temperature of BC) regarding the correct orientation of dwellings to
have houses that were cool in summer and warm in
winter.
The greatest advantage of solar energy as
compared with other forms of energy is that it is clean
and can be supplied without environmental pollution.
Over the past century, fossil fuels provided most of our
energy, because these were much cheaper and more
convenient than energy from alternative energy
sources, and until recently, environmental pollution has
been of little concern. (Alireza & Kamran, 2009)
The sun's energy has been used by both nature and
humankind throughout time in thousands of ways, from
growing food to drying clothes; it has also been
deliberately harnessed to perform a number of other
jobs. Solar energy is used to heat and cool buildings
(both actively and passively), hot water for domestic
and industrial uses, heat swimming pools, power
refrigerators, operate engines and pumps, desalinate
water for drinking purposes, generate electricity, for
chemistry applications, and many more operations.
¶ (10pt)
2. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS
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2.1 Types of Solar Collectors
Solar collectors can also be classified into
following two categories:
a) Liquid collectors: These types of solar
collectors are mainly used for water heating in houses
and swimming pools. The most common liquid used is
water or antifreeze solutions in cold climates.
b) Air collectors: They are basically used for
indoor spaces and to regenerate drying material in a
drying cooling system.
The most common types of solar collectors are the
flat plate, evacuated tube and concentrating collectors.
(10pt) ¶ (10pt)
2.2 Flat Plate Solar Collector
Flat plate collectors, developed by Hottel and
Whillier in the 1950s, are the most common type. Flat
plate collectors are the most common collectors for
water heating (liquid type) and for space heating
installations (air type). They consist of:
(1) a dark flat-plate absorber of solar energy,
(2) a transparent cover that allows solar energy to
pass through but reduces heat losses,
(3) a heat-transport fluid (air, antifreeze or water)
to remove heat from the absorber, and
(4) a heat insulating backing.
The absorber consists of a thin absorber sheet (of
thermally stable polymers, aluminium, steel or copper,
to which a matte black or selective coating is applied)
often backed by a grid or coil of fluid tubing placed in
an insulated casing with a glass or polycarbonate
cover. In water heat panels, fluid is usually circulated
through tubing to transfer heat from the absorber to an
insulated water tank. This may be achieved directly or
through a heat exchanger. Most solar thermal water
heater manufacturers have a completely flooded
absorber consisting of two sheets of metal between
which the fluid passes. Because the heat exchange area
is greater they may be marginally more efficient than
traditional absorbers.
In simple words a flat plate collector is an
insulated metal box with either glass or plastic cover,
which is called "glazing". The dark color plate is called
the "absorber plate" because it absorbs the sun
radiation. The glazing can be "transparent" or
"translucent"
Figure 1: Flat Plate Solar Collector
Translucent (transmitting light only), low iron
glass is a common glazing material for flat plate
collectors because low iron glass transmits a high
percentage of the available solar energy. The glazing
allows the light to strike the absorber plate and reduces
the escaped amount of heat. Usually the sides and the
bottom of the plate are insulated to minimize the heat
losses. The absorber plate is usually black. The reason
is that dark colors absorb a higher percentage of
sunlight than light colors.
2.3 Mechanism of operation of Flat Plate Collector
The majority of solar collectors that are sold in many
countries are of the flat-plate variety. The main
components of these are a transparent front cover,
collector housing and an absorber. The absorber, inside
the flat plate collector housing, converts sunlight to
heat and transfers it to water in the absorber tubes. As
the collector can reach stagnation temperatures up to
200°C (i.e. when no water flows through), all the
materials used must be able to resist such heat.
Therefore, the absorber is usually made of metal
materials such as copper, steel or aluminium. The
collector housing can be made of plastic, metal or
wood, and the glass front cover must be sealed so that
heat does not escape, and dirt, insects or humidity do
not get into the collector itself. Many collectors also
have controlled ventilation, so as to avoid condensation
inside the glass front cover. The collector housing is
highly insulated at the back and sides, keeping heat
losses low. However, there are still some collector heat
losses, mainly due to the temperature difference
between the absorber and ambient air, and these are
subdivided into convection and radiation losses. The
former are caused by air movements, while the latter
are caused by exchange of heat by radiation between
the absorber and the environment. (Alvarez, 2004)
 A sheet of glass covers the collector as it faces the
sun, and this helps to prevent most of the convection
losses. Furthermore, it reduces heat radiation from the
absorber into the environment in a similar way as a
greenhouse does.
Figure 2: Mechanism of operation of flat plate collectors schematic view.
However, the glass also reflects a small part of the
sunlight, which does not then reach the absorber at all.
(Kalogirou, 2004)
2.4 Evacuated tube collectors
Evacuated tube collectors are made of a series of
modular tubes, mounted in parallel, whose number can
be added to or reduced as hot water delivery needs
change.
Figure 3: Evacuated Tube Collector
This type of collector consists of rows of parallel
transparent glass tubes, each of which contains an
absorber tube (in place of the absorber plate to which
metal tubes are attached in a flat-plate collector). The
tubes are covered with a special light-modulating
coating. In an evacuated tube collector, sunlight
passing through an outer glass tube heats the absorber
tube contained within it.
The absorber can either consist of copper (glass-metal)
or specially-coated glass tubing (glass-glass). The
glass-metal evacuated tubes are typically sealed at the
manifold end, and the absorber is actually sealed in the
vacuum, thus the fact that the absorber and heat pipe
are dissimilar metals creates no corrosion problems.
The better quality systems use foam insulation in the
manifold. Low iron glass is used in the higher quality
evacuated tubes manufacture. (Alireza & Kamran,
2009)
Lower quality evacuated tube systems use the
glass coated absorber. Due to the extreme temperature
difference of the glass under stagnation temperatures,
the glass sometimes shatters. The glass is a lower
quality boron silicate material and the aluminium
absorber and copper heat pipe are slid down inside the
open top end of the tube. Moisture entering the
manifold around the sheet metal casing is eventually
absorbed by the glass fiber insulation and then finds its
way down into the tubes. This leads to corrosion at the
absorber/heat pipe interface area, also freeze ruptures
of the tube itself if the tube fills sufficiently with water.
Two types of tube collectors are distinguished by
their heat transfer method: the simplest pumps a heat
transfer fluid (water or antifreeze) through a U-shaped
copper tube placed in each of the glass collector tubes.
The second type uses a sealed heat pipe that contains a
liquid that vaporizes as it is heated. The vapor rises to a
heat-transfer bulb that is positioned outside the
collector tube in a pipe through which a second heat
transfer liquid (the water or antifreeze) is pumped. For
both types, the heated liquid then circulates through a
heat exchanger and gives off its heat to water that is
stored in a storage tank (which itself may be kept warm
partially by sunlight). Evacuated tube collectors heat to
higher temperatures, with some models providing
considerably more solar yield per square metre than
flat panels. However, they are more expensive and
fragile than flat panels. Evacuated heat tubes perform
better than flat plate collectors in cold climates because
they only rely on the light they receive and not the
outside temperature. The high stagnation temperatures
can cause antifreeze to break down, so careful
consideration must be used if selecting this type of
system in temperate climates. Tubes come in different
levels of quality so the different kinds have to be
examined as well. High quality units can efficiently
absorb diffuse solar radiation present in cloudy
conditions and are unaffected by wind. They also have
the same performance in similar light conditions
summer and winter. (Dagdougui et. al., 2011)
For a given absorber area, evacuated tubes can
maintain their efficiency over a wide range of ambient
temperatures and heating requirements. The absorber
area only occupied about 50% of the collector panel on
early designs, however this has changed as the
technology has advanced to maximize the absorption
area. In extremely hot climates, flat-plate collectors
will generally be a more cost-effective solution than
evacuated tubes. When employed in arrays of 20 to 30
or more, the efficient but costly evacuated tube
collectors have net benefit in winter and also give real
advantage in the summer months. They are well suited
to extremely cold ambient temperatures and work well
in situations of consistently low-light. They are also
used in industrial applications, where high water
temperatures or steam need to be generated. Properly
designed evacuated tubes have a life expectancy of
over 25 years which greatly adds to their value.
2.5 Mechanism of evacuated tube collector
In this type of vacuum collector, the absorber strip
is located in an evacuated and pressure proof glass
tube.
Figure 4 Parts of evacuated tubetube
collectors
The heat transfer fluid flows through the absorber
directly in a U-tube or in counter-current in a tube-in-
tube system. Several single tubes, serially
interconnected, or tubes connected to each other via
manifold, make up the solar collector. A heat pipe
collector incorporates a special fluid which begins to
vaporize even at low temperatures. The steam rises in
the individual heat pipes and warms up the carrier fluid
in the main pipe by means of a heat exchanger. The
condensed liquid then flows back into the base of the
heat pipe. (Alvarez, 2004)
The pipes must be angled at a specific degree
above horizontal so that the process of vaporizing and
condensing functions. There are two types of collector
connection to the solar circulation system. Either the
heat exchanger extends directly into the manifold ("wet
connection") or it is connected to the manifold by a
heat-conducting material ("dry connection"). A "dry
connection" allows exchanging individual tubes
without emptying the entire system of its fluid.
Evacuated tubes offer the advantage that they work
efficiently with high absorber temperatures and with
low radiation. (Kalogirou, 2004)
Evacuated tube collectors are mostly used to heat
water in residential applications that require higher
temperatures. Sunlight enters through the outer glass
rube and strikes the absorber tube(s) and changes to
heat. The heat is transferred to the liquid flowing
through the absorber tube. The collector consists of
rows of parallel transparent glass Each tube contains an
absorber rube with selective coating. In such type of
solar collectors, tubes can be either added or removed.
Evacuated tube collectors are available in a number of
designs. Some of them use a third glass tube inside the
absorber tube or other configurations of heat transfer
fins and fluid tubes. For additional sunlight it is
possible to place reflectors behind the evacuated tubes.
This makes the collector more efficient, offering
the advantage of performing better in both diffuse and
beam radiation, making the collectors useful in cold
climate areas. Another positive fact is due to its shape.
The circular shape absorbs the sunlight perpendicularly
for most of the day.
collectors
However the disadvantage of such collectors is that are
more expensive compared to flat plate. The tubes are
designed in such a way that air is evacuated from the
space between the two tubes forming a vacuum.
Conductive and convective heat losses are eliminated
because there is no air to conduct heat nor to circulate
and cause convective losses. (Parihar, 2010)
2.6 Solar Water heating system for the replacement
of electric geyser:
The Solar Water heater is based on the principle of
black body absorption. The black surface of the
collector absorbs the heat energy from solar spectrum
& transfers it to the water passing through the pipes of
collector. Hot water being lighter rises to the insulated
storage tank & an equal amount of cold water replaces
this water. This is known as Thermosyphon principle.
This cycle repeats as long as sun shines. Water gets
heated in the insulated storage tank. No Pump is
required for its operation. However, in bigger capacity
Solar Water Heating System or special application
Solar Water Heating System's motor pump set is used
for circulation (24 hrs. Electric backup is must for
forced circulation systems especially in hilly regions
facing freezing problem). (Dagdougui et. al., 2011)
Figure 5: Solar water heating system
The selective Coatings used in solar Collector
absorbs Solar Radiation and convert it to Heat Energy.
The hot water rises up in the risers of the collector &
returns to the hot water storage tank. There is no
requirement of motor or pump to circulate in
thermosyphon system however in forced system the
pump is required for circulation of water.
• When the temperature of the collector reaches the
set value, the controller shall start the circulation of
pump automatically.
• The circulation of pump makes heat - conducting
liquid circulate automatically.
• The heat-conducting liquid transfers heat to water
by the heat exchanger in the water tank.
• In case the temperature of the collector does not
reach the set value, the circulation pump shall shut
off automatically.
• In case the temperature of the water in storage tank
does not reach set temperature then starts the
auxiliary heating device. (Alvarez, 2004)
The Solar water heating system is by far better than
the electric geyser as it uses a renewable source of
energy i.e. solar energy and saves electric energy.
2.7 Comparison of Flat and Evacuated tube
collectors
In general though, it is probably safe to say that for
a given absorber area, evacuated tubes are more likely
to maintain their efficiency over a wide range of
ambient temperatures and heating requirements. In
constantly sunny climates flat plate collectors are more
efficient whereas in more cloudy conditions their
energy output drops off rapidly in comparison with
evacuated tubes.Evacuated tube collector based
systems are the better choice: (Parihar, 2010)
 Captures more sunlight as they have a greater
surface area exposed to the sun
 Are more efficient in the transferring heat
 Can be used in freezing temperatures
 If a tube breaks, it can be replaced
 Excellent operation in overcast conditions on
cloudy days
 Require a smaller roof footprint compared to flat
plate collectors
 Low level of corrosion problems compared to flat
plate collectors
3. CONCLUSIONS
¶ (10pt)
There is worldwide interest in the applications of
solar energy because of concern for future energy
sources and the environment. However, commercial
successes of solar energy applications have been
limited, mainly due to costs. Some new and emerging
developments in solar energy have the potential to
change that situation. Also domestic use of solar
energy in form of domestic solar water heating system
is a big success over electric geyser.Solar water heaters
offer long-term benefits that go beyond simple
economics. Adding a solar water heater to an existing
home raises the resale value of the home by the entire
cost of the system. This system is eco – friendly,
avoiding the bad effects of carbon dioxide, nitrogen
oxides, sulfur dioxide, and other wastes; etc. Solar
water heater replaces an electric water heater, thus the
electricity displaced over 20 years represents more than
50 tons of avoiding carbon dioxide emissions alone. In
the major part of the day the temperature achieved is
well above 42°C with an ambient temperature of 27°C
which is within prescribed range for the operation of
solar water vapor absorption cycle, so the system is
optimal for air conditioning also.
The conclusion table containing the comparison of
evacuated heat pipe tubes solar collectors versus flat
plate solar panels is Table 1 as follows:
 Table 1: Conclusions table: Evacuated heat pipe tube S vs. Flat plate solar panels

The cost of electricity is going to increase every
year. Assuming life of Solar Water Heating System to
be 25 years, nearly Rs. 9 lacs would be saved in twenty
five Years at present rate of electricity charges.
Thus, due to these advantages evacuated type solar
collector is preferred over flat plate solar collector for
domestic solar water heating system to replace with
electric water geyser to employ the use of renewable
solar energy hence saving electric energy.
Future Scope:
About 80% of installations of solar collectors in
India are in the commercial and industrial sector,
unlike Europe where the focus is mainly on the
domestic sector. But as a result of improved economics
of solar systems, due to increase in electrical prices, the
domestic market is picking up now. As per Ministry of
Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES), the
potential of solar water heating systems in the country
is around 30 million m2 of collector area.
As a result of various promotional efforts, there has
been a steady growth in the cumulative collector area
installed. The cumulative collector area installed has
increased from 119000 m2 in 1989 to 525000 m2 as on
March 2001 in India as per the report of MNES.
Alvarez "Thermal performance of an air solar collector
with an absorber plate made of recyclable
aluminium cans" Solar Energy 77 (2004), pp 107-
113.
Dagdougui., Ouammi, Robba, Sacile “Thermal
analysis and performance optimization of a solar
water heater flat plate collector" Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, Volume 15, Issue 1,
January 2011, pp 630-638 .
Kalogirou “Thermal Solar Collectors and
Applications" Progress in Energy and Combustion
Science, Volume 30, Issue 3, 2004, pp 231-295.
Lu S., Goswami, D.Y., Optimization of a novel
combined solar power/water heating
thermodynamic cycle. Solar Eng. 2002, 75–82.
Parihar M. L., “Energy Conservation-A Necessity for
Development", 18th IEI Journal-TC, Volume 91,
December 2010, pp 3 – 5.

4. REFERENCES
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Alireza, Kamran, "Experimental study on the effect of
heat transfer enhancement devices in flat-plate solar
collectors" International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer 52 (2009), pp 4650-4658.