Design and Thermal Behavior Analysis of a Plan Air Solar Collector

Abstract

In order to find heat production techniques for drying and heating applications of premises in tropical climates from process characterization studies, a flat air collector with air and forced convection was first designed. A simulation of solar radiation, thermal behavior of the solar collector and an experimental test of the latter were carried for validation. The time profiles of the evolution of solar radiation and the temperatures of the heat transfer fluid at the inlet and outlet of the collector as well as those of the collector components during a day were presented, November 17th, 2019. During this day, for an ambient air temperature at the collector inlet varying between 20°C and 41°C, the experimental temperatures of the absorber and solar collector outlet air temperature are respectively 96°C and 78°C for maximum measured solar irradiation of the order of 900 W/m². For the same interval of variation of ambient air temperature, the simulated temperatures of the absorber and of the solar collector outlet air are respectively of the order of 105°C and 90°C when the simulated maximum solar irradiation attains 880 W/m² of collection at true solar noon. The values of R2 obtained for the data of the solar radiation, collector outlet air temperature and temperatures of the absorber are respectively of the order of 0.960, 0.98 and 0.950, indicating a good correlation between the experimental and predicted data; whereas the root mean square error (RMSE) are respectively around 0.020, 0.013 and 0.011, showing a very good match between experimental and modelled temperatures. The temperature range at the outlet of the present device which is simple and achievable at low cost is important for the drying needs of the various products and heating.