Dynamic Simulation and Optimization of Flat Plate Solar Collector Parameters Using the MATLAB Program for Erbil-Iraq Climate Condition

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the performance solar water collector by varing five parameters; which are mass flowrate, inclination angle, total solar radiation, pipe size, and number of glass covers. The test rig was established to collect the data for the whole months of September and October and use it as a focal point for analysis of the solar water heating system's performance. The dynamic behavior simulated and optimizated with MATLAB software for the practical data to investigate the performance of the flat plate solar collector. The novelity in this study is the first time the authors use the whole practical data instead of using an average to approximate the theoretical dynamic investigation of the flat plate solar collector. The achievements are as follows: The increase in collector efficiency was from 62.17% to 71.26% when the collector pipe spacing was reduced from 186 mm to 86 mm; the increase in efficiency was approximately 2% as the collector pipeline diameter grew from 1 mm to 50 mm; the optimum efficiency was achieved with triple glazing and was about 0.83%; the increase in mass flowrate from; 1 to 5 liters per minute, would improve the efficiency of the system from 64% to 83%. Moreover, the best tilt angle for the flat plate solar collector was 30°.Also, heat loss coefficient rises by around 50% when wind speed is increased from 1 m/s to 5 m/s. Thus, the use of dynamic investigation with actual data will assist the researcher in improving the performance of the solar water flat plate collector.