Performance of Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems at the National Bureau of Standards—Measurements and Predictions

Abstract

The thermal performance of six solar domestic hot water systems and a conventional hot water system have been carefully monitored by the National Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The system configurations include an evacuated-tube air system with a crossflow heat exchanger and two storage tanks, a single-tank direct system, a double-tank direct system, a single-tank indirect system with a wrap-around heat exchanger, a double-tank indirect system with a coil-in-tank heat exchanger, and a thermosyphon system. Results are presented for a one-year time interval commencing January 1980. This paper includes a detailed description of the hot-water systems, experimental test results, and comparisons with computer predictions using the f-chart method [1].