Indian Journal of Science and Technology

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Experimental Analysis of Flat Plate Solar Air Collector Efficiency


Affiliations
1 Agricultural Machinery Department, University of Tabriz
 

In the present study, a flat plate solar air collector is used for research purposes. The absorber of solar collector made by steel plate with an area of 2×1m2 and thickness of 0.5mm in the form of window shade has been developed for increasing the air contact area. The surface of absorbent plate was covered by black paint. To insulate the collector, the glass wool with the thickness of 5cm was used. The experiments on the efficiency were conducted for a week during which the atmospheric conditions were almost uniform and data was collected from the collector. The results of the collector efficiency in the natural and forced convection were evaluated and their graphs were plotted. The results showed that the collector efficiency in forced convection was lower, but the low temperature difference between inlet and outlet of the collector decreased its heat loss. In addition, the average air speed in forced convection was about 21% higher than the natural convection.

Keywords

Flat Plate Collector, Solar Radiation, Efficiency
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  • Experimental Analysis of Flat Plate Solar Air Collector Efficiency

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Authors

Amir Hematian
Agricultural Machinery Department, University of Tabriz
Yahya Ajabshirchi
Agricultural Machinery Department, University of Tabriz
Amir Abbas Bakhtiari
Agricultural Machinery Department, University of Tabriz

Abstract


In the present study, a flat plate solar air collector is used for research purposes. The absorber of solar collector made by steel plate with an area of 2×1m2 and thickness of 0.5mm in the form of window shade has been developed for increasing the air contact area. The surface of absorbent plate was covered by black paint. To insulate the collector, the glass wool with the thickness of 5cm was used. The experiments on the efficiency were conducted for a week during which the atmospheric conditions were almost uniform and data was collected from the collector. The results of the collector efficiency in the natural and forced convection were evaluated and their graphs were plotted. The results showed that the collector efficiency in forced convection was lower, but the low temperature difference between inlet and outlet of the collector decreased its heat loss. In addition, the average air speed in forced convection was about 21% higher than the natural convection.

Keywords


Flat Plate Collector, Solar Radiation, Efficiency

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst%2F2012%2Fv5i8%2F30537