Abstract
The aim of this study is to present the comparative results of experimental investigations of the thermal performance of two thermosiphon solar water heaters system (SWHS). The first uses the coconut fiber (CF), a local vegetable and the second, the glass wool (GW), an imported and expensive material, as thermal insulations. The maximum instantaneous efficiencies are, respectively, 65.30 % and 58.7% with glass wool and coconut fiber while the mass flow rate values are, respectively, 0.0098 kg/s and 0.0078 kg/s with glass wool and coconut fiber. In addition, the calculated average values of F’(τα) and F’UL are, respectively, 0.79 and 5.86 Wm-2°C for the coconut fiber collector and 0.8 and 5.26 Wm-2°C for the glass wool collector. The average heat exchanger effectiveness obtained for the two SWHS are superior to 50%. As an environment-friendly and renewable material, coconut fiber is particularly suitable for thermal insulation in order to save energy. The experimental results show the ability of the constructed solar water heater in providing hot water suitable for maternity, hotels, households and encourage its implementation and utilization on a broad scale. The SWHS can be used in any weather conditions.
Highlights
The same manner, operating in the same conditions
Coconut husk is rich in cellulose and lignin, which are the two major compositions for producing binderless fiberboard (Panyakaew and Fotios, 2011).The chemical components of coconut husk are shown in Table 1 and these were measured according to the procedures in Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) standard
It is evident that the thermal conductivity of coconut fiber is in the same range of particleboard from mixture of durian peel and coconut coir, cotton stalk fiberboard and vermiculite and slightly higher than that of other fibrous materials and cellular materials, such as fiberglass, rockwool and extruded polystyrene (AlHomoud, 2005)
Summary
Determination of the thermal conductivity of the coconut fiber (origin Côte d’Ivoire). Coconut husk which is the principal source for the coir fibers was collected from locally available waste bunch of the coconut fruit. Raw coconut fruits were obtained from a coconut plantation in the city of Yamoussoukro situated in the center of Côte d’Ivoire. Fibers were extracted from the external layer of the exocarp and from the endocarp of the fruit
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