SOLAR COLLECTORS

Werner Weiss
AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC)
A-8200 Gleisdorf, Feldgasse 19
AUSTRIA
Conversion of solar radiation energy
into other energy forms

Source: ENREL
TYPES OF COLLECTORS
Plastic Absorber
Flat plate collectors
FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR

Source: IEA SHC Task 33

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR

Transparent
cover

Insulation

Absorber plate

Tubes

Source: Consolar
FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR

transparent
cover

connection pipe
for
absorber insulation

heat transfer medium pipe

framework structure
ABSORBER - TYPES

Meander Harp
absorber absorber
Manufacturing of a Solar Collector
Manufacturing of a Solar Collector

Source:GREENoneTEC / ESTIF
Manufacturing of a Solar Collector

Source:GREENoneTEC / ESTIF
Strip absorber
Strip Absorber
Strip Absorber
Local Production in Uganda
Thermographic Photographs of Various Absorber Types

Source: Treikauskas, Ingolstadt University

Absorber Material

Aluminum or Copper?

37%

63%

Aluminum

Copper

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Ultrasonic or Laser Welding?
Ultrasonic or Laser?
2%

5%
8%

43%

43%

Laser welding

Ultrasonic welding

Soldering

Mechanical

Other (Glue, Plasma welding)

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Full Size or Strip Absorber

Full Size or Strip Absorber

8%

92%

Full Size

Absorber Strip

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Absorber Colors

Blue or black?

5%
10%

85%

Blue
Black Chrome
Other (AIOx, NiOx, etc.)

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Snake Type or Register Absorber?
Snake Type or Register?

11%

38%

44%

7%

Snake

Double Snake

Register

Double Register

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

CPC - COLLECTOR
CPC - COLLECTOR
Evacuated Tube Collectors
Evacuated Tube Collectors
Evacuated Tube Collectors

Heatpipe, Vitosol 300 (left) / Direct coupled Sydney Collector (right)

Direct flow U-tube with cylindrical absorber

Detail Sydney collector

Direct flow U-tube with flat absorber

Source: Frei, U.: Kollektoren in solarthermischen Systemen, SPF Solartechnik Prfung Forschung, TriSolar98
Lenz Tube

Source: SWW 08/20006 S.46

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Detail Sydney collector

Evacuated Tube Collectors
Evacuated Tube Collectors Heat Pipe
Evacuated Tube Collectors Heat Pipe
Heat Pipe Principle Wet Connection
Errorindication

V ac uu m p re se n t Va cuu m fa ul ty

http://www.solardirect.com/
Evacuated Tube Collectors
THERMOSYPHON SYSTEM - China
Evacuated Tube Collectors

Source: Consolar
Concentrating Collectors
Parabolic Trough Collector
Working Principle - PTC
Tracking of the sun

Collector axis oriented north-south

Built Examples
Process Heat Collectors
AEE INTEC and Button Energy

70%
2nd Prototype
2. Prototyp 2nd Prototype
2. Prototyp (mit(evacuated
evakuiertemglass tube)
Hllrohr)
60%

50%
Wirkungsgrad

40%

30%
1. Prototyp
20%

10%

0%
0,00 0,05 0,10 0,15 0,20 0,25 0,30
(Tm-Tu)/IDNI in m K/W
 Fresnel Process Heat Collector

PSE AG
Germany

Aperture area: 88 m
Working temperature:
max. 200C
CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS - CCSTaR

Universitat de les Illes Ballears

 Process Heat Collectors
CPC Collector

1.00
Air 1 bar
0.90
Air 0,01 bar
0.80 Krypton 0,01bar
0.70

Efficiency n
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Concentration: 1,8x Temperature difference T_Coll_mid - T_Amb [K]

LoCo EvaCo (Low concentrating evacuated flat collector), ZAE

Bayern
COLLECTOR MATERIALS

?
ABSORBER MATERIALS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

thermal conductivity
absorber material
[W/mK]

steel 50

aluminium 210

copper 380
ABSORBER COATING
Selective coating: 0 < 0.2, > 0.9
Partially selective coating: 0.2 < 0.5, > 0.9
Non selective coating: 0.5 < 1.0, > 0.9

Plain copper black paint galvanic coating physical vapour

deposition or sputtering
ABSORBER COATING

Source:Alanod-Sunselect / ESTIF
TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

cover thickness weight solar transmittance

[mm] [kg/m]
Standard glass *) 4 10 0.84
Standard glass, tempered 4 10 0.84
Iron free glass, tempered 4 10 0.91
Antireflective coated glass 4 10 0.95
PMMA, ducted plate 16 5.0 0.77
PMMA, double ducted plate 16 5.6 0.72

*) danger of breaking determined by high collector temperatures

Collector test
TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

4% Reflection

4% Reflection

Standard Solar Glass

(42) Standard Solar Glass

TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

Solar glass Solar glass with antireflective coating

 TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

Solar transmission

AR coated

Uncoated

Incident angle
(42)
Market Share of Clear and Structured Glass

9%
33%

59%

clear glass
structured glass
AR-glass

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Glass Thickness

30%

70%

3,2 mm
4 mm

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

INSULATING MATERIALS

max. allowable
insulating density conductivity
temperature
material [kg/m] [W/mK] at 20C
[ ]

Mineral wool > 200 60 - 200 0.040

Glass wool > 200 30 - 100 0.040

Glass wool > 200 130 - 150 0.048

Polyurethane
foam < 130 30 - 80 0.030

Polystyrol foam < 80 30 - 50 0.034

 Absorber Manufacturing Processes

Production Process Deficiencies

Spot Welding - not possible with all metals, susceptible to corrosion, ...
- low processing temperature (stagnation!!!),
ubstance-to-

connections

Soft-Soldering
substance

- emission of flux residues,

Ultrasonic Welding - no continuous substance-to-substance connection,
- very high processing temperature,
co

Laser Welding
su

- micro-cracks in welding spots

Plasma Welding - very high processing temperature,
- low processing temperature (stagnation!!!),
connections
substance-

Splicing
substance

- low heat conductivity of adhesive,

non

to-

- low heat conductivity of clamping (non uniform contact pressure, ..), ..

Clamping
(various designs)
FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR Simple Design

Modul Collector Roof Integrated Collector

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR Advanced Design

Module Collector Roof Integrated Collector

Physical Processes inside a Flat-Plate Collector
heat loss through
the pane of glass
reflection
on absorber
reflection on the
pane of glass

occurrence
of solar radiation heat loss through the
rear and side walls
Losses of a basic Flat-plate Collector

Source: Source: Wagner & Co.

 Characteristic Values of Flat-plate and
Evacuated Tube Collectors

Qcoll is the energy collected per unit collector area per unit time
FR is the collectors heat removal factor

is the transmittance of the cover

is the shortwave absorptivity of the absorber
G is the global incident solar radiation on the collector
UL is the overall heat loss coefficient of the collector
T is the temperature differential between the heat transfer fluid
entering the collector and the ambient temperature outside the
collector.
Collector Efficiency Curve

(tm ta)/G [Km/W]

Collector Efficiency

Nutzenergi
useful energy e
=
eingesetzt eEnergie
solar energy

(t m t a ) (t m t a )
= 0 a1 a2
G G
Collector Efficiency

s. T-Sol Collector data

 Collector efficiency curve

Optical Losses
0,8

0,7

0,6

0,5 Thermal Losses

eta
0,4

0,3 Useful Energy

0,2

0,1
Stagnation Point
0
0 0,04 0,08 0,12 0,16

(TKm-TA) / GT [Km/W]
Efficiency of different collector types (calc)

Evacuated Tube Collector

Selective Flat-plate Collector

Uncovered Absorber

Simple Flat-plate Collector

(tm ta)/G [Km/W]

Area Definitions

Apertur area
 Possible Improvements of FPC

0.9
Hermetically sealed collectors with inert gas fillings;
efficiency (based on aperture area)

0.8 operating temperature

0.7
Double covered flat-plate collectors;
80 to 120C

Vacuum flat-plate collectors; and

0.6
combinations of the above mentioned
0.5
1 AR
0.4
2 AR
0.3
3 AR
0.2
standard flat-plate
collector
0.1

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15
(T m-T a)/G in Km /W

Source: IEA SHC Task 33

Flat plate collectors

?
Register-Type Absorber
1100

11 pipes
(d= 10 mm)

1630
0
1700
0
28
Flat plate collectors

12 m
Hydraulic connection of collectors