SOLAR ENERGY COLLECTORS

Non Conventional Energy

Sources
References :
G.D RAI

SOLAR COLLECTORS:
Collector is a device which absorbs the incoming solar
radiation, converts it into heat, and transfers this
heat to
a fluid (usually air, water, or oil) flowing through the
collector.

COLLECTORS

Collecting

Flat (or)
Non
concentric

Concentric
(or)

Focussing

Mounting

Stationary

Adjustable

Fluids

Liquid

Gas (or) Air

Flat or Non concentric type collector

Flat-plate collectors, developed by

Hottel and Whillier in the 1950s,
are the most common type of
solar collector which are widely
used for domestic household hotwater heating , air heating

Temperature can be upto 900

In the Non-concentrating type, the

collector area is the same as the
absorber area.

Flat (or)
Non
concentric

Fluid Type

FLUID TYPE :

AIR TYPE

Air Type

Heat Transfer medium is water or any other liquid

Heat Transfer medium is air or gas.

A typical diagrams of
Flat plate solar
thermal
collectors

Components of Flat plate collector

GLAZING
ABSORBER
HEADERS
INSULATION
CONTAINER

** These can absorb both direct and diffused

beam radiations

GLAZING:
o

Made of one or more covers of transparent material like glass or plastic..

It is used to reduce convective and radiative heat losses from the absorber.

It is opaque to the infrared radiations.

ABSORBER :
o
o

It is usually made of copper or steel metal.

The surface is covered with a thin coating of primer and then flat black paint of high
absorptance huge
paint may increase the resistance to heat tranfer

Coating is applied on the surface to maximize the absorptance of solar energy and
minimizes the
radiation emitted by plate.

TUBES OR HEADERS :
o
o

A tube that is attached to absorber or sometimes it is a part of absorber plate.

If the working fluid is air , the flow passage should be below the absorber plate to
minimize heat losses.

Insulation:

These are some materials such as fiberglass and they are placed at the back
and sides of
the collector to reduce heat losses. eg. wool, fiber etc...

Container :

Which encloses the other components together and protects from the weather.

Flat plate collectors

Flat plate collector Fluid Type

Cross sectional arrangements through

the collector plates
Tube in strip type

Glazing
Riser
Absorbing plate

Glazing
Riser
Absorbing plate

Insulation
Insulation

Cross sectional arrangements

through the collector plates
Tubes brazed to
absorber

Glazing
Riser
Absorbing plate

Insulation

Glazing
Riser
Absorbing plate

Insulation

Working Principle

Sunlight passes through the

glazing and strikes the
absorber plate, which heats
up, and solar energy is
converted into heat energy.
This the heat is transferred to
the fluid passing through pipes
attached to the absorber plate
by means of convective heat
transfer.

Glazing design

Due to two glass sheets are used losses due to air convection are
further reduced , this is mainly used and important in windy areas.

Radiation losses in infrared spectrum are reduced to 25% from

50% due to use of two glass sheets.

It is not economical to use more than two plates as if the plates

increases it reflects the solar radiation by 15 % and efficiency
decreases.

The air space between the cover and the absorber prevents heat
loss by convection

However if one watches the electromagnetic spectrum

As cover is made of glass

It allows the solar radiations of wavelength < 2m
and is opaque for wavelength > 2m
It is seen from electromagnetic spectrum that infrared
radiations having wavelength > 2m
As a result infrared are opaque and does not pass
Soo heat is trapped inside the space between the cover and
absorber plate similar to green house effect and keeps it hot.
However some of heat occurs due to conduction , convection , and
radiation thereby effecting the overall efficiency.
efficiency

Glazing design considerations

This can be met by following steps :--

It can be reduced by using "water white glass" with low iron content

Reflection which is order of 15% can be met by gentlly itching the

glass surface hydro flouric acid.

Absorber design

Coating done on the absorber surface is called "selective coatings "

"Black chrome" is extensively used coating which is of 2m

thickness

Heat transport sytem

Heat generated in the absorber is continuosly taken by the flow of

medium through tubes.

Air Heaters

Non porus
Absorber

Porus
Absorber

Non porus absorber : Air flows above and beneath the absorber.
Porus Absorber

: Air flows through the absorber.

Non Porus Air heater

Air Type Flat plate collectors

Used commonly for space heating

agricultural heating applications.

A Typical
Flat plate collector
Solar air heater

and

Collectors with porus absorbers

Design of Air plate collector

Heavily insulated material like mineral wool is coated beneath the

surface of absorber

The most favourable orientation of the panel is facing due south with
an inclination of 15o latitude with the horizontal.

Air as medium of heat transfer eliminates the corrossion and

freezing problems which are more when water is used.

Air is passed through the baffles arranged in zig zag pattern

between the absorber and insulation where fins provides the more
contact area thereby more amount of heat to transfer.

Applications
Air collectors
Heating Buildings
Drying Agricultural Products
Heating Green houses.
Heat source for heat engines.

Advantages
Flat
Plate
collectors
Both Beam and Diffuse radiations
orientation need not be towards sun
little maintaince
simplier than concentric plate type

Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate Collectors

Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate

If I is the intensity of solar radiation, in W/m , incident on the aperture plane of the
Collectors
solar collector having a collector surface area of A, in m

Then the amount of solar radiation received by the collector is :

However, as it is shown Figure 2, a part of this radiation is reflected back to the sky,
another component is absorbed by the glazing and the rest is transmitted through the
glazing and reaches the absorber plate as short wave radiation.

Therefore the conversion factor indicates the percentage of the solar rays penetrating
the transparent cover of the collector (transmission) and the percentage being
absorbed.

Basically, it is the product of the rate of transmission of the cover and the absorption
rate of the absorber and is given by

Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate

As the collector absorbs heat its temperature is getting higher than that of
Collectors

the surrounding and heat is lost to the atmosphere by convection and

radiation.

The rate of heat loss (Qo) depends on the collector overall heat loss
coefficient (UL) and the collector temperature.

Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate

Collectors
Under steady state conditions

The rate of useful energy extracted by the collector (Qu), expressed as

It is also known that the rate of extraction of heat from the collector may be
measured by means of the amount of heat carried away in the fluid passed
through it, that is:

Thermal Analysis of Flat Plate

It is convenient to define a quantity that relates the actual useful energy
Collectors
gain of a collector to the useful gain if the whole collector surface were at

the fluid inlet temperature. This quantity is known as the collector heat
removal factor (FR) and is expressed as:

Concentric type collector :

simple concentric collector

\ Types of concentric collectors

a) Flat plate collector with adjustable mirrors

b) Compounded parabolic collector

c) Cylindrical parabolic collector

d) Mirror strip reflector (or) Moving reflector with fixed concentrator

e) Fresnel lens collector

f) Parabolic trough collector

Cylindrical parabolic trough collector

Beam radiation is reflected from the

number of individual mirrors called
heliostats to the central receiver at the top.

Upto 20000C

Fresnel Lens Collector

It is flat on one side and has fine
longitudinal grooves on the
other
The angles of these grooves are
such that the radiation is
brought to the focus
Lens are made of plastic sheets.
Used upto 4000C

Parabolic trough collector

solar radiation coming in a

particular direction is collected
and is collected on the focus of
the parabola

Thermal Analysis of concentrate collectors

Under the steady state conditions we have :

Equation is written assuming that the contribution of diffuse beam

radiations are negligible

And Q1 the overall loss coefficient can be given as :

CONCLUSION
Long lasting
Cheaper than other water heating systems.
However,they requires large areas
Also solar energy is free
If we do not include the initial cost for installation and the maintenance.
Finally; besides these we should remember by using solar energy we can
protect nature

The End