Optimal design for a thermosyphon solar water heater

Through the use of TRNSYS, a transient simulation program, optimization of design parameters for a thermosyphon solar water heater was studied for two regions in Jordan represented by two cities, namely Amman and Aqaba. The optimum value of a parameter is defined as the value which maximizes the annual solar fraction of a system. This paper includes a good deal of information concerning sizing of common components of thermosyphon solar water heaters operated under certain condition (load volume, distribution profile and temperature) using weather data of Jordan. The results indicate that the solar fraction of the system can be improved by 10–25% when a proper choice is used for each studied parameter. It is also shown that the solar fraction of a system installed in Aqaba (hot climate) is less sensitive to some parameters than the solar fraction of a similar installed in Amman (mild climate).