A new version of a solar water heating system coupled with a solar water pump

This research target was to improve the thermal efficiency of a solar water heating system (SWHS) coupled with a built-in solar water pump. The designed system consists of 1.58-m² flat plate solar collectors, an overhead tank placed at the top level, the larger water storage tank without a heat exchanger at the lower level, and a one-way valve for water circulation control. The discharge heads of 1 and 2 m were tested. The pump could operate at the collector temperature of about 70–90 °C and vapor gage pressure of 10–18 kPa. It was found that water circulation within the SWHS ranged between 15 and 65 l/d depending upon solar intensity and discharge head. Moreover, the max water temperature in the storage tank is around 59 °C. The max daily pump efficiency is about 0.0017%. The SWHS could have max daily thermal efficiency of about 21%. It is concluded that the thermal efficiency was successfully improved, except for the pump one. The new SWHS with 1 m discharge head or lower is suitable for residential use. It adds less weight to a building roof and saves electrical energy for a circulation pump. It has lower cost compared to a domestic SWHS.     

Experimental investigation on thermal performance of thermosyphon flat-plate solar water heater with a mantle heat exchanger

The thermal performance of thermosyphon flat-plate solar water heater with a mantle heat exchanger was investigated to show its applicability in China. The effect on the performance of the collector of using a heat exchanger between the collector and the tank was analyzed. A “heat exchanger penalty factor” for the system was determined and energy balance equation in the system was presented. Outdoor tests of thermal performance of the thermosyphon flat-plate solar water heater with a mantle heat exchanger were taken in Kunming, China. Experimental results show that mean daily efficiency of the thermosyphon flat plate solar water heater with a mantle heat exchanger with 10 mm gap can reach up to 50%, which is lower than that of a thermosyphon flat-plate solar water heater without heat exchanger, but higher than that of a all-glass evacuated tubular solar water heater.     

A novel thermal water pump for circulating water in a solar water heating system

This research purpose was to perform a parametric study of a novel thermal water pump well fitted in a simulated solar water heating system (SWHS). The SWHS was composed of a heating tank (HT), a hot water storage tank (ST) and an overhead tank (OT). The HT together with a specially designed valve act as a novel thermal water pump that gets power from hot water vapor and air pressure produced by a built-in electric heater in order to transfer heat from the HT to ST. The general operation of this pump has four stages for each cycle: heating, water circulating, vapor circulating and water supplying. The discharge water heads were varied with an increment of 0.25 m from 0.75 to 3 m. According to the experiment, it was found that the pump could operate at an average HT temperature of about 80–95 °C leading to 70–80 °C ST temperatures and 20–35 pumping cycles and consumed 17 MJ energy input during 9-h period. The overall thermal efficiency of the SWHS was 33–42% and the mean pump efficiency was about 0.005–0.011% depending upon the discharge heads.     

Performance analysis of solar water heater combined with heat pump using refrigerant mixture

In the research presented in this paper the thermal performance of a solar water heater combined with a heat pump is studied. A solar collector was modified from corrugated metal roofing with a copper tube attached beneath. The performance of the solar water heater was tested, and models for the collector efficiency and storage tank were developed and used for the evaluation of their performance when combined with a heat pump system.     

Thermal and economical analysis of a central solar heating system with underground seasonal storage in Turkey

Thermal performance and economic feasibility of two types of central solar heating system with seasonal storage under four climatically different Turkey locations are investigated. The effects of storage volume and collector area on the thermal performance and cost are studied for three load sizes. The simulation model of the system consisting of flat plate solar collectors, a heat pump, under ground storage tank and heating load based on a finite element analysis and finite element code ANSYS™ is chosen as a convenient tool. In this study, the lowest solar fraction value for Trabzon (41°N) and the highest solar fraction value for Adana (37°N) are obtained. Based on the economic analysis, the payback period of system is found to be about 25–35 years for Turkey.     

Study of a solar water heater using stationary V-trough collector

There are various types of solar water heater system available in the commercial market to fulfill different customers’ demand, such as flat plate collector, concentrating collector, evacuated tube collector and integrated collector storage. A cost effective cum easy fabricated V-trough solar water heater system using forced circulation system is proposed. Integrating the solar absorber with the easily fabricated V-trough reflector can improve the performance of solar water heater system. In this paper, optical analysis, experimental study and cost analysis of the stationary V-trough solar water heater system are presented in details. The experimental result has shown very promising results in both optical efficiency of V-trough reflector and the overall thermal performance of the solar water heater.     

ICS solar systems with two water tanks

Integrated collector storage (ICS) systems are compact solar water heaters, simple in construction, installation and operation. They are cheaper than flat plate thermosiphonic units, but their higher thermal losses make them suitable mainly for application in locations with favourable weather conditions. Aiming to the achievement of low system height and satisfactory water temperature stratification, new types of ICS systems with two horizontal cylindrical storage tanks, properly mounted in stationary CPC reflector troughs are suggested. The non-uniform distribution of solar radiation on the two absorbing surfaces is combined with the seasonal sun elevation, resulting to effective water heating. In addition, the inverted absorber concept design can be applied to ICS systems with two storage tanks. In this paper, we present the design and performance of double tank ICS solar systems, which are based on the combination of symmetric and asymmetric CPC reflectors with water storage tanks. The analytical equations of the collector geometry of all models are calculated with respect to the radius of the cylindrical water storage tank and the reflector rim angles. Experimental results for the variation of the water temperature inside storage tanks, the mean daily efficiency and the coefficient of thermal losses during night are given for all experimental models. The tests were performed without water draining and the results show that the double tank ICS systems are efficient in water temperature rise during day and satisfactory preservation of the hot water temperature during night, with the upper storage tank being more effective in performance in most of the studied models.     

Transient analysis of parallel plate forced circulation solar water heating system

In this paper, a transient analysis of a forced circulation solar water heating system with and without heat exchangers in the collector loop and storage tank has been presented for a parallel flat plate collector. The effect of various water heating system parameters on its performance have been studied. Numerical calculations have been made for a typical cold day viz. 26 January 1980 in Delhi.     

Optimal design of a forced circulation solar water heating system for a residential unit in cold climate using TRNSYS

An indirect forced circulation solar water heating systems using a flat-plate collector is modeled for domestic hot water requirements of a single-family residential unit in Montreal, Canada. All necessary design parameters are studied and the optimum values are determined using TRNSYS simulation program. The solar fraction of the entire system is used as the optimization parameter. Design parameters of both the system and the collector were optimized that include collector area, fluid type, collector mass flow rate, storage tank volume and height, heat exchanger effectiveness, size and length of connecting pipes, absorber plate material and thickness, number and size of the riser tubes, tube spacing, and the collector’s aspect ratio. The results show that by utilizing solar energy, the designed system could provide 83-97% and 30-62% of the hot water demands in summer and winter, respectively. It is also determined that even a locally made non-selective-coated collector can supply about 54% of the annual water heating energy requirement by solar energy.     

Experiments with a flat plate solar water heating system in thermosyphonic flow

A typical Israeli water heating system in thermosyphonic-flow was tested. The system consisted of two flat plate collectors painted matt black connected in parallel and a 140 l. storage tank. Total surface area of the collectors, employing the parallel flow pattern, was about 3 m² and they were tilted about 35° relative to the horizon. All collector pipes and connecting tubes were made of galvanized steel. The underside collector plate, collector tubes and storage tank were equipped with thermo-couples. A specially designed flow meter was used to measure water flow rate. Results show relatively linear temperature distributions both along the collectors and in the storage tank when no water consumption was allowed. Water flow rate was found to essentially follow solar radiation and reached a maximum of about 950 cm³/min. This value was found to be about 33 per cent smaller than the one predicted by an analytical model developed by the authors. It was also observed that shutting the system off during the afternoon hours, when losses to the environment are enhanced, might increase system efficiency.     

Refrigerant-charged integrated solar water heater

The performance of two R-11-charged integrated solar water heater collectors was investigated experimentally for forced and natural circulation water flows. The heat transfer from the refrigerant loop to the hot water storage tank took place through a condenser of novel design integrated within the collector frame. The effect of the condenser inclination on the system efficiency was remarkable for natural circulation water flow but had no significant effect for forced circulation flow. The difference in thermal response between the refrigerant and water loops caused buildup of stored energy in the condenser. This energy affected the buoyancy forces and generated flow pulsation that caused a harmonic-like variation of the system efficiency. This effect vanished with forced water circulation flow. The system efficiency varied between 20 and 50% depending on the solar insolation.     

Comparative studies on thermal performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters with different collector tilt-angles

To performance comparative studies, two sets of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heater (SWH, in short) were constructed and tested. Both SWHs were identical in all aspects but had different collector tilt-angle from the horizon with the one inclined at 22° (SWH-22) and the other at 46° (SWH-46). Experimental results revealed that the collector tilt-angle of SWHs had no significant influence on the heat removal from solar tubes to the water storage tank, both systems had almost the same daily solar thermal conversion efficiency but different daily solar and heat gains, and climatic conditions had a negligible effect on the daily thermal efficiency of systems due to less heat loss of the collector to the ambient air. These findings indicated that, to maximize the annual heat gain of such solar water heaters, the collector should be inclined at a tilt-angle for maximizing its annual collection of solar radiation. Experiments also showed that, for the SWH-22, the cold water from the storage tank circulated down to the sealed end of tubes along the lower wall of tubes and then returned to the storage tank along the upper wall of solar tubes with a clear water circulation loop; whereas for the SWH-46, the situation in the morning was the same as the SWH-22, but in the afternoon, the cold water from the storage tank on the way to the sealed end was partially or fully mixed with the hot water returning to the storage tank without a clear water circulation loop, furthermore, such mixing became more intense with the increase in the inlet water temperature of solar tubes. This indicated that increasing the collector tilt-angle of SWHs had no positive effect on the thermosiphon circulation of the water inside tubes. No noticeable inactive region near the sealed end of solar tubes for both systems was observed in experiments.     

Experimental investigation of thermal performance of a solar assisted heat pump system with an energy storage

An experimental solar assisted heat pump space heating system with a daily energy storage tank is designed and constructed, and its thermal performance is investigated. The heating system basically consists of flat plate solar collectors, a heat pump, a cylindrical storage tank, measuring units, and a heating room located in Gaziantep, Turkey (37.1°N). All measurements are automatically collected as a function of time by means of a measurement chain feeding to a data logger in combination with a PC. Hourly and daily variations of solar radiation, collector performance, coefficient of performance of the heat pump (COP_HP), and that of the overall system (COP_S) are calculated to evaluate the system performance. The effects of climatic conditions and certain operating parameters on the system performance parameters are investigated. COP_HP is about 2.5 for a lower storage temperature at the end of a cloudy day and it is about 3.5 for a higher storage temperature at the end of a sunny day, and it fluctuates between these values in other times. Also, COP_S turns out to be about 15–20% lower than COP_HP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison between a simple solar collector accumulator and a conventional accumulator

In dry regions with abundant solar radiation at Southern latitudes between 30 and 40°, such as the central-western part of Argentina, it is possible to obtain domestic hot water by means of simple integral collector accumulator systems, which are less expensive than the classical flat plate active systems. The experimental assessment of two solar accumulator collector systems yielding 300 l of hot water daily is reported in this work. Daily diurnal global efficiency and nocturnal thermal losses have been systematically determined over a 5-month period, from austral summer to austral winter. The results of these systems were compared with the results obtained from a high quality thermosyphon solar system composed of a flat plate collector and its corresponding insulated storage tank, tested at the same time. The experiments were carried out by measuring the climatic variables, temperatures in different parts of the collectors, and mass flow rates of water, during the test days. Based on these measurements, the behaviour of the systems was analysed by comparing exit temperatures, heat losses, and delivered useful energy. An economic evaluation was made considering the investment time recovery through the savings the system could provide working with different conventional sources of energy. The systems proved to work efficiently, although some improvements should be made on the semitransparent thermal insulation in order to enhance its winter performance.     

Experimental study of the performance of a solar thermal-photovoltaic integrated system

In this work a self-contained solar heating forced water cooling unit was selected and assembled. It consists of three flat-plate solar collectors, each of area 1.2 m², a.d.c. pump, a photovoltaic module and a storage tank. The electrical power produced by the photovoltaic module operates the d.c. pump, which circulates the cooling water through the solar collectors to transfer the heat to the storage tank. The electrical voltage and current, the water rate of flow, and water temperature at inlet and outlet of the collector were all measured. Solar irradiation, wind speed and ambient temperature were also measured. Daily distribution of electrical current, water mass rate of flow, module efficiency and collector efficiency were plotted in figures. Module efficiency, pump efficiency and collector efficiency were taken as dependent variables, while the solar irradiation, ambient temperature and time were the independent variables. Optimum values were graphically indicated and related to each other in a clear discussion. An economic study and comparison of three different systems were carried out: a common thermosyphon system; an a.c. pump circulating system; and this system, which is a d.c. pump circulating system. Results revealed that collector efficiency reached a daily average value of 47% due to d.c. pump installation powered by photovoltaic electric output.     

Experimental study on a new solar boiling water system with holistic track solar funnel concentrator

A new solar boiling water system with conventional vacuum-tube solar collector as primary heater and the holistic solar funnel concentrator as secondary heater had been designed. In this paper, the system was measured out door and its performance was analyzed. The configuration and operation principle of the system are described. Variations of the boiled water yield, the temperature of the stove and the solar irradiance with local time have been measured. Main factors affecting the system performance have been analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the system produced large amount of boiled water. And the performance of the system has been found closely related to the solar radiance. When the solar radiance is above 600 W/m², the boiled water yield rate of the system has reached 20 kg/h and its total energy efficiency has exceeded 40%.     

Experimental investigation and performance analysis on a solar adsorption cooling system with/without heat storage

A solar adsorption cooling system which can be switched between a system with heat storage and a system without heat storage was designed. In the system with heat storage, a heat storage water tank was employed as the link between the solar collector circulation and the hot water circulation for the adsorption chillers. However, the heat storage water tank was isolated in the system without heat storage, and the hot water was directly circulated between the solar collector arrays and the adsorption chillers. It was found that the inlet and outlet temperatures for the solar collector arrays and the adsorption chillers in the system without heat storage were more fluctuant than those of the system with heat storage. Also found was that the system with heat storage operated stably because of the regulating effect by the heat storage water tank. However, under otherwise similar conditions, the cooling effect of the system without heat storage was similar to that of the system with heat storage. Compared with the system with heat storage, the system without heat storage has the advantages of higher solar collecting efficiency as well as higher electrical COP.     

Energetic and exergetic performance evaluation of natural circulation solar water heating systems

This study deals with the energy and exergy analyses of natural circulation solar water heating (SWH) systems. The system comprises of a single glazed flat plate solar collector (FPSC) with absorber plate of 2 m², and a separate insulated well-mixed vertical water storage tank (WST) of 125 liters. The variable heat transfer coefficients, water inlet and outlet temperatures of the FPSC; and temperature of heated water stored in the WST are predicted theoretically for each interval. The daily energy and exergy efficiency of the FPSC, WST and SWH system are estimated to be about 39 and 4.36%, 67 and 38.55%, 27 and 1.01%, respectively. It is found that the water inlet temperature, optical efficiency and the solar radiation strongly influence the performance of the FPSC both energetically and exergetically. It is observed that change in the mass flow rate of water improves the exergy efficiency of the FPSC significantly. FPSC has been identified as a critical component of the system where exergy destruction of 308 W/m² takes place daily as compared to 24 W/m² in the WST against available solar exergy of about 663 W/m².     

Performance evaluation of a low-temperature solar Rankine cycle system utilizing R245fa

A low-temperature solar Rankine system utilizing R245fa as the working fluid is proposed and an experimental system is designed, constructed and tested. Both the evacuated solar collectors and the flat plate solar collectors are used in the experimental system, meanwhile, a rolling-piston R245fa expander is also mounted in the system. The new designed R245fa expander works stably in the experiment, with an average expansion power output of 1.73 kW and an average isentropic efficiency of 45.2%. The overall power generation efficiency estimated is 4.2%, when the evacuated solar collector is utilized in the system, and with the condition of flat plate solar collector, it is about 3.2%. The experimental results show that using R245fa as working fluid in the low-temperature solar power Rankine cycle system is feasible and the performance is acceptable.     

Performance prediction of refrigerant-DMF solutions in a single-stage solar-powered absorption refrigeration system at low generating temperatures

A theoretical analysis of the coefficient of performance was undertaken to examine the efficiency characteristics of R22 + DMF, R134a + DMF, R32 + DMF as working fluids, respectively, for a single-stage and intermittent absorption refrigerator which allows the use of heat pipe evacuated tubular collectors. The modeling and simulation of the performance considers both solar collector system and the absorption cooling system. The typical meteorological year file containing the weather parameters for Hangzhou is used to simulate the system. The results show that the system is in phase with the weather. In order to increase the reliability of the system, a hot water storage tank is essential. The optimum ratio of storage tank per solar collector area for Hangzhou’s climate for a 1.0 kW system is 0.035-0.043L. Considering the relative low pressure and the high coefficient of performance, R134a + DMF mixture presents interesting properties for its application in solar absorption cycles at moderate condensing and absorbing temperatures when the evaporating temperatures in the range from 278 K to 288 K which are highly useful for food preservation and for air-conditioning in rural areas.