1 1 C Thermal Analysis of Solar Collectors

European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research
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Building Integration of Solar Thermal Systems – TU1205 – BISTS
Thermal Analysis of Solar
Collectors
Soteris A. Kalogirou
Cyprus University of Technology
Limassol, Cyprus
COST is supported by
the EU RTD Framework Programme ESF provides the COST Office
through an EC contract
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Contents
• Types of collectors
– Stationary
– Sun tracking
• Thermal analysis of collectors
– Flat‐plate collectors
– Concentrating collectors
• Performance of solar collectors
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Types of solar collectors
Indicative
Absorber Concentration
Motion Collector type temperature
type ratio
range (°C)
Flat plate collector (FPC) Flat 1 30-80
Stationary Evacuated tube collector (ETC) Flat 1 50-200
1-5 60-240
Compound parabolic collector (CPC) Tubular
5-15 60-300
Single-axis Linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) Tubular 10-40 60-250

tracking Parabolic trough collector (PTC) Tubular 15-45 60-300
Cylindrical trough collector (CTC) Tubular 10-50 60-300
Two-axes Parabolic dish reflector (PDR) Point 100-1000 100-500

tracking Heliostat field collector (HFC) Point 100-1500 150-2000
Note: Concentration ratio is defined as the aperture area divided by the receiver/absorber area of the collector.
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Modes of Tracking
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Comparison of energy absorbed for
various modes of tracking
Solar energy (kWh/m2) Percent to full tracking
Tracking mode
E SS WS E SS WS
Full tracking 8.43 10.60 5.70 100.0 100.0 100.0
E-W Polar 8.43 9.73 5.23 100.0 91.7 91.7
N-S Horizontal 6.22 7.85 4.91 73.8 74.0 86.2
E-W Horizontal 7.51 10.36 4.47 89.1 97.7 60.9
Note: E - Equinoxes, SS - Summer Solstice, WS - Winter Solstice
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Stationary collectors
No concentration
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Flat‐plate collector
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Flat‐plate Collector
4
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Exploded view of a flat‐plate collector
Gasket
Header
Glazing
Riser tube
Absorber plate
Insulation
Casing
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Types of flat‐plate collectors
Water systems
Glazing Glazing
Riser Riser
Absorbing plate Absorbing plate
Insulation
Insulation
Glazing Glazing
Riser Riser
Absorbing plate Absorbing plate
Insulation
Insulation
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Types of flat‐plate collectors
Air systems
Glazing
Air passage
Glazing
Corrugated sheet
Insulation
Glazing Insulation
Air flow
Metal matrix
Metallic foam
Insulation
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Hot air
Transpired air collector
Fan
Perforations
 Very suitable
for BISTS
Perforated
absorber Ambient air
Plenum
Ambient air
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Schematic diagram of an evacuated tube
collector
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Evacuated tube collectors
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Combination of collectors
Collectors
Flat diffuse reflector Reflector Evacuated tubes
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ICPC Collector
Solar radiation Solar radiation
Finned absorber
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Stationary collectors
Concentrating
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Flat plate collector with flat reflectors
Sun rays
Flat plate
collector
Flat reflector
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Saw‐tooth arrangement
Solar rays
Collector
Collector Diffuse
reflector
Diffuse
reflector
Horizontal roof
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Schematic diagram of a CPC collector
2θc
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CPC types
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Application as flat plate collector
Solar radiation
Glass cover
Absorber
Involute reflector
Casing
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Sun tracking collectors
Concentrating
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Schematic of a parabolic trough collector
Sun rays
Receiver detail
Receiver
Glass Parabola
cover
Receiver
tube
Tracking
mechanism
12
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Parabolic
trough
collectors
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Fresnel type parabolic trough
collector
Sun rays
13
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Schematic diagram of a downward facing
receiver illuminated from a Linear Fresnel
Reflector (LFR) field
Receiver
Sun rays
Tower
Mirrors
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Schematic diagram showing interleaving of
mirrors in a CLFR with reduced shading
between mirrors
Receiver Receiver
Sun rays
Tower Tower
Mirrors
14
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Photo of Fresnel system
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Schematic of a parabolic dish collector
Sun rays
Receiver
Parabola
Two-axes
tracking
mechanism
15
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Schematic of central receiver system
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Thermal analysis of collectors
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Flat‐plate collector thermal losses
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Flat‐plate collector thermal losses
• From the simple thermal network the collector
thermal losses are:
Tp  Ta
Qloss   U L A c (Tp  Ta )
RL

• The total heat loss coefficient UL is given by:
U L  U t  U b  U e (top, back, edges)
• The various relations can be obtained from basic
heat transfer analysis
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Empirical relation
• This relation gives adequate accuracy:
1   Tp2  Ta2   Tp  Ta 
Ut  
Ng 1 2N g  f  1
  Ng
 p  0.05N g 1   p  g
0.33
C  Tp  Ta  1
  
Tp  N g  f  hw
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• Where:
f  1  0.04h w  0.0005h 2w  1  0.091Ng 

C  365.9 1  0.00883  0.00012982 

8.6V 0.6
h w  0.4
L
• The minimum value of wind heat loss coefficient, hw
for still air is 5 W/m2K, so if above equation gives a
lower value we use this value as a minimum.
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Useful energy collected from a flat plate collector
• In the form of equation this is given by:
Qu  A c G t ()  U L  Tp  Ta    mc

 p To  Ti 
 
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Useful energy collected from a
collector‐Flat plate
• General formula:
Q u  A c G t ()  U L  Tp  Ta    mc p  To  Ti 
 

• by substituting inlet fluid temperature (Ti) for the
average plate temperature (Tp):
Q  A F G ( τα )  U T  T 
u c R  t L i a   

– Where FR is the heat removal factor
ESF provides the COST Office
the EU RTD Framework Programme
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Heat removal factor
• Heat removal factor represents the ratio of the
actual useful energy gain that would result if the
collector‐absorbing surface had been at the local
fluid temperature.
• Equation:
 p 
mc  U F ' Ac  
FR  1  Exp   L 
A c U L    p  
mc 
F΄=collector efficiency factor

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Collector efficiency
• Finally, the collector efficiency can be
obtained by dividing Qu by (Gt Ac). Therefore:
 U L (Ti  Ta ) 
  FR  (  )  
 G t 
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Concentration ratio
• The concentration ratio (C) is defined as the ratio of the aperture
area to the receiver/absorber area, i.e.: A
C a
Ar

• For flat‐plate collectors with no reflectors, C=1. For concentrators C
is always greater than 1. For a single axis tracking collector the
maximum possible concentration is given by:
1 where θm is the half
C max  acceptance angle

sin( m ) limited by the size
of the sun’s disk,
• and for two‐axes tracking collector: small scale errors
1 and irregularities of
C max  the reflector surface
sin ( m )
2
and tracking errors.
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Maximum concentration
• For a perfect collector and tracking system
Cmax depends only on the sun’s disk which has
a width of 0.53°(32΄). Therefore:
• For single axis tracking:
Cmax = 1/sin(16΄) = 216
• For full tracking:
Cmax = 1/sin2(16΄) = 46,747
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Concentrating collectors
• The useful energy delivered from a concentrator is:
Qu  Gb ηo Aa  ArU L Tr  Ta 

• Where no is the optical efficiency given by:

η  ρταγ  1  A f tan(θ ) cos(θ ) 
o
 
• And Af is the geometric factor given by:
A  2 W h  fW 1  Wa2 
f a p a 
3  48 f 
2
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Concentrating collectors efficiency
• Similarly as for the flat‐plate collector the heat
removal factor can be used:
Q  F G η A  A U T  T  

u R b o a r L i a

• And the collector efficiency can be obtained by
dividing Qu by (GbAa):
  T T  Note C in the
n  FR  ηo  U L  i a  denominator
  Gb C 
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PERFORMANCE OF SOLAR COLLECTORS
• The thermal performance of the solar collector is
determined by obtaining:
– values of instantaneous efficiency for different
combinations of incident radiation, ambient temperature,
and inlet fluid temperature.
– the transient thermal response characteristics of the
collector (time constant).
– the variation of steady‐state thermal efficiency with
incident angles between the direct beam and the normal
to collector aperture area at various sun and collector
positions (incidence angle modifier).
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Collector efficiency
• For flat‐plate collectors:
 Ti  Ta 
  FR (  )  FR U L 
 Gt 

• For concentrating collectors:
FRU L (Ti  Ta )
η  FR ηo 
C Gb
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Efficiency plots
More details on a special presentation
Flat plate Concentrating

η collector η collector
Intercept = FR(τα)n Intercept = FRηο
Slope = -FRUL/C
Slope = -FRUL
ΔΤ/Gt ΔΤ/GB
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Thank you for your attention,

any questions please….

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1 1 C Thermal Analysis of Solar Collectors

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European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research

Single-axis Linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) Tubular 10-40 60-250

Two-axes Parabolic dish reflector (PDR) Point 100-1000 100-500

N-S Horizontal 6.22 7.85 4.91 73.8 74.0 86.2

E-W Horizontal 7.51 10.36 4.47 89.1 97.7 60.9

Note: E - Equinoxes, SS - Summer Solstice, WS - Winter Solstice

Flat diffuse reflector Reflector Evacuated tubes

F΄=collector efficiency factor

Flat plate Concentrating

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