Collector Storage Research Articles

Performance Improvement of an Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater by Using an Additional Glass Cover: A Numerical Study

This paper describes the analysis of a solar storage water heating system, emphasizing its cost-effectiveness and integrated design. The study employs numerical analysis to assess and optimize the performance of a rectangular solar collector with an added glass cover and an internal horizontal barrier. Using COMSOL software, a three-dimensional modeling study was conducted in the Kufa-Najaf climate on May 9th. The analysis focused on fundamental convection equations governing mass, momentum, and energy conservation. Temperature and velocity distributions were obtained at 13:30 PM, revealing a peak storage water temperature of 56.3 °C. The additional glass cover-barrier storage collector, set at a 60° angle, exhibited the highest stored energy at 2065.6 W, surpassing the conventional storage collector at 1007.06 W. Furthermore, the model demonstrated an increased instantaneous efficiency of 58.3%, compared to 28.4% for the conventional collector. The simulation results align well with previous findings, showing a maximum mean absolute percent error (MAE) of 4.5%.

In situ performance evaluation of a solar water heating system for a hospital laundry in the Sahel

There is a limited number of empirical studies on the actual energy output of solar water heating systems (SWHSs). In the Sahel, where solar potential is abundant, the transition to sustainable energy solutions requires comprehensive evaluations of SWHSs, including their economic viability. Such assessments are crucial for informed decision-making by stakeholders and for facilitating the widespread adoption of SWHSs, including their integration into industrial processes. This paper presents a year-round experimental study assessing the real-world performance and economic viability of a SWHS integrated into a hospital laundry in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The primary aim of the study is to analyse the practical performance of the integrated collector storage (ICS) SWHS and evaluate its economic viability. The performance of the ICS SWHS is monitored over the course of a year. Data collection included measurements of solar irradiation, ambient temperature, inlet and outlet water temperatures, and energy output of the SWHS. Economic assessments considered factors such as installation costs, energy savings, and payback periods. Environmental implications were evaluated through the estimation of avoided CO2 emissions. The ICS SWHS achieved an efficiency of 38 % and a solar fraction of 17 %, resulting in approximately 1.3 t of avoided CO2 emissions annually. Economic assessments revealed extended payback periods, leading to exploration of alternatives. Subsequently, a water-in-glass evacuated tube collector (ETC) system, deemed more cost-effective, was selected and it indicated superior energy production. Preliminary results suggest compelling payback periods for the ETC system, ranging from 3.1 to 4.5 years under realistic scenarios. The study underscores the significance of practical experimentation, appropriate technology selection, and improved market regulations for informed decision-making. SWHSs present a promising avenue for sustainable energy solutions in the Sahelian region and beyond, offering both economic benefits and environmental impact.

Thermal assessment of cylindrical parabolic integrated collector storage using input-output and dynamic system testing procedures: Experimental and numerical study

The main limitation of Integrated Collector Storage systems lies in their low efficiencies and high loss coefficients. In this paper, experimental and numerical setups are conducted to assess the thermal performances of low cost Cylindrical Parabolic Integrated Collector storage (CP-ICS). The conceived system has two aluminum plates in parabolic form serving as reflectors, each with a surface area of 2 m2. The storage tank has a volume of 160 L covered with a layer of black paint with single and double transparent insulations. Results of the experimental tests using Input-Output method showed that the daily thermal efficiency ηd of the developed systems is equal to 48.21% and 49.46% for single and double insulation cover configurations, respectively. The total store heat capacity Cs, the useful collector surface Ac* and the storage tank heat losses coefficient Us of the system found using Dynamic System Testing procedure are equal to 0.56 MJ/K, 0.74 m2 and 1.59 W/K, respectively. Even if the energy efficiency of the system is slightly lower than that recorded in conventional systems, numerical results of long-term study using TRNSYS software showed that the system provides a reasonable solar fraction for the needs of a family in Tunisian climate. A comparative assessment of the developed solar collector performances in different representative climates showed that the use of the CP-ICS system presents a promising solution for countries with annual ambient temperatures fluctuating from 13°C to 33°C, such as Araxos with a solar coverage of 30.65% for a daily supply volume of 160 L. More importantly, in Faya-Largeau location, presenting Chadian climate data, the solar fraction is found to be the highest and reached an average of 67.25%.

Thermal performance and optimization of an integrated collector–storage solar air heater based on lap joint-type flat micro-heat pipe arrays

This study seeks to optimize the performance of an integrated collector–storage solar air heater (ICSSAH) based on lap joint-type (LJT) flat micro-heat pipe arrays (FMHPAs) and latent thermal storage through numerical simulation. A novel dynamic heat transfer model is developed by incorporating the heat transfer correlation describing the thermal characteristics of phase change material (PCM) in narrow and elongated confined spaces within plate fins and validated using experimental data to address the issue of deviation caused by the fixed thermal resistance of the PCM in conventional numerical simulation methods. The validated model is used to simulate and predict the dynamic performance of LJT-FMHPA-ICSSAH under different heat transfer structures. Several optimization parameters, including the air gap thickness, the optical properties of the collector and glass cover plates, and fins structure, are considered. Simulation results indicate that the heat lost to the external environment through the glass cover plate accounted for over 70 % of the total heat dissipation. The optimal combination included a 50 mm gas layer; copper-based blue titanium coating; ultra-white glass; and fin spacing, thickness, height, and length of 5, 0.2, 60, and 195 mm, respectively. Under autumn/winter operating conditions, the optimized thermal performance is 1.13–1.35 times higher than the performance prior to optimization.

Experimental Study on Glazing Impacts on Rectification Performance of Planar Thermal Diode Integrated Collector Storage Systems

Thermal diodes are innovative tools to rectify the heat transfer mechanism in integrated collector storage (ICS) solar water heating (ICSSWH) systems and reduce ambient heat losses. This study analyzes an innovative planar thermal diode ICSSWH and aims to determine how the glazing affects the efficiency and dynamics of planar diodes. Furthermore, the robust ability of planar diodes to rectify the heat transfer mechanism is proven. Hence, an experimental setup was fabricated and analyzed outdoors during the day to observe the planar diode’s dynamics comprehensively. The obtained results illustrate the strong effects of glazing on the dynamics and diodicity of the planar diode. The stored water obtains the highest temperature of 64 °C in the glazed scenario and 50 °C in the unglazed one. Hence the glazing improves collection and retention efficiencies in which the collection efficiency reaches 52.81% and 35.56%, while the retention efficiency has peak values of 11.04% and 3.22% in the glazed and unglazed scenarios. The partial vacuum is another crucial factor that slightly affects the stored water temperature and efficiencies compared to the glazing strategy. Hence the glazing significantly reduces ambient heat losses in the planar diode as a robust thermal rectifier.

Investigating two configurations of a heat exchanger in an Indirect Heating Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heating System (IHICSSWHS)

Water heating makes up 14% of domestic energy usage. Due to the environmental impact of energy usage, consumers need to be encouraged to use renewable energy sources such as solar energy. The indirect heating integrated collector storage solar water heater system (IHISSWHS) is one of the most economical systems. The objective of this study was to investigate ways to enhance the performance of this system to encourage many households using it. Two configurations of the system were studied; 16.2 m long double row heat exchanger (HX) and 8.1m and 10.8 m long single row HX. Inside pipe diameters were 10.7mm and 17.1 mm; using two flow rates 500 L/h and 650 L/h. The steady state continuity, momentum and energy equations were numerically solved, using FLUENT software. A standard k-ω turbulent model and surface to surface radiation was used. The system with 10.8 m long single row HX provided higher outlet temperature than the system with 16.2 m double row. Therefore, a significant reduction in cost and power usage can be achieved by using a single row HX. For both flow rates investigated, the larger diameter pipe need about five folds less power to run, with very little sacrifice of outlet temperature.

Boosting storage collector efficiency with new corrugated absorbers: A numerical simulation approach

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the performance of a rectangular storage solar collector with three different absorber plate shapes: smooth, parabolic, and triangular. The research employs three-dimensional, unsteady modeling using COMSOL software version 5.5 to simulate a solar storage collector system in Kufa-Najaf's climatic conditions. Two days in November and July were selected to evaluate the system's performance under various atmospheric conditions. The results showed that the highest water temperature for a no-load condition was 36.2 °C in November and 51.7 °C in July. For a triangular corrugation absorber storage collector under load, the largest temperature difference between the outflow and inflow temperatures was 14.9 °C at 1 p.m. and 11.9 °C at sunset in November, while the maximum temperature difference was 13.4 °C at 4 p.m. in July. The study also found that the total efficiency of the triangular corrugation absorber storage collector was higher than that of the other designs, and generally, the total efficiency under no-load conditions was lower than the load. The present work offers a novel solar storage collector configuration with a parabolic or triangular roughened integrated plate absorber, which enhances heat transfer, promoting energy efficiency and improving outlet water temperature.

Energy and exergy evaluation of a novel baffled water photovoltaic/thermal system using integrated collector storage as thermal system: An experimental study

This study analyzes a new baffled photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector consisting of a baffled integrated collector storage (ICS) system integrated with a polycrystalline silicon PV panel. ICS systems have a significant advantage: combining absorbing and storage components causes a simple, affordable structure; furthermore, to improve the convection mechanism, several baffles are installed in the ICS. The energy and exergy analyses were carried out experimentally to discuss the efficiency of the PV/T collector comprehensively. The reserved water stratifies in the tank during daytime, and its temperature obtains the maximum values of 47.2 °C and 38.1 °C at the top and bottom of the tank. Interestingly, the mean water temperature is lower than the ambient temperature in the morning due to radiative sky cooling at night. The thermal, electrical, and overall energy efficiencies of the PV/T system are high in the early morning, nearly 21.67%, 15.22%, and 65.09%; then, these energy efficiencies reduce due to increasing ambient heat losses and PV temperature. Thermal exergy efficiency reaches nearly 0.15%, while electrical exergy efficiency varies between 21% and 22% during daily hours. Therefore, the simple structure with high overall efficiency, nearly 65%, causes the new baffled PV/T collector to be an affordable, robust PV/T system.

An advanced Photovoltaic Thermal Collector Storage Solar Water Heating based on planar liquid vapour thermal diode: Model-based design approach for the optimal energy performance assessment

The building sector is responsible for the highest portion of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. To partly address this issue, the scientific community is placing greater emphasis on the utilization of Building Integrated Solar Systems (BISS) as a means of improving building thermophysics and decreasing primary energy demand. Within this framework, Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heaters (ICSSWH) have the potential to significantly decrease the costs associated with the installation and maintenance of building-integrated solar systems (BISS), all while optimizing the utilization of solar power. Nevertheless, ICSSWHs exhibit certain limitations in their capacity to retain thermal energy, particularly during nocturnal periods. One potential approach for enhancing the efficiency of ICSSWH collectors involves the integration of Thermal Diodes (TD), which have the capability to optimize heat absorption while minimizing heat retention. In this context, to advance the state-of-the-art in the field, this paper presents a novel dynamic simulation tool conceived to assess the performance of an innovative Hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal ICSSWH (the HyPVT), incorporating a cutting-edge Planar Liquid Vapour Thermal Diode (PLVTD), and purposely designed to be integrated into buildings’ envelope. By using the developed simulation tool, the performance of the proposed HyPVT collector concept is investigated with the aim of assessing its collection and retention efficiencies under different boundary and operating conditions. Furthermore, to show the effect of the Planar Liquid Vapour Thermal Diode (PLVTD) adoption, a comparative analysis is conducted between the proposed ICSSWH and a conventional one (without a thermal diode). Finally, the developed tool will be utilized in forthcoming research to determine the optimal device configuration through the utilization of a model-based design methodology.

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

AbstractTo enhance the thermal characteristics of a solar collector storage system, this study investigates the performance of a rectangular thermal energy storage (TES) tank by incorporating cascade phase change materials (cascade‐PCMs). Three different commercially available PCMs (RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC) with distinct melting temperatures are employed. These cascade‐PCMs are utilized as slabs in vertical rectangular modules, which are integrated into the water TES tank. The heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the flat‐plate solar collector captures solar energy and transfers it to the TES tank, where it is stored as latent thermal energy. A two‐dimensional (2D) numerical model, utilizing the enthalpy‐porosity approach and conservation equations, is developed to analyze the melting and heat transfer processes within the TES tank. The model is validated against previous experimental and numerical data. Performance evaluation of the cascade‐PCMs tank is conducted during a 9‐h charging period (from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) under Marrakesh weather conditions in Morocco. An optimization study is carried out to determine the optimal height of each cascade‐PCM. The results suggest that an optimal design with heights of 23, 16, and 11 cm for RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC respectively, offers improved melting and storage quality. The thermal characteristics of the TES tank incorporating cascade‐PCMs are compared to those of a TES tank filled with a single phase change material (single‐PCM) during the charging period. The findings indicate that the cascade‐PCMs achieve complete melting, while the single‐PCM only reaches a melting fraction of 0.903 at the end of the charging process. Furthermore, the optimal configuration of the cascade‐PCMs storage tank exhibits slightly higher sensible and latent thermal energy storage capacity compared to the single‐PCM tank. The combination of the solar collector with the cascade‐PCMs storage tank results in a 3.47% higher average collection efficiency when compared to the single‐PCM tank.

Dynamic testing of a new integrated collector storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) according to standard ISO 9459‐5: Use of a numerical approach for long‐term prediction in different climatic conditions

AbstractThis work analyzes the performance of a new Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater (ICSSWH) by using Dynamic System Testing (DST) method according to Standard ISO 9459‐5. The long‐term performance study of the system in different climatic conditions has been achieved by a coupling model between DST results and a numerical approach based on the system transient behavior. Results of the experimental dynamic system evaluation showed that the total store heat capacity Cs, the useful collector surface Ac* and the storage tank heat losses coefficient Us are, respectively, 0.87 MJ/K, 1.21 m2 and 10 W/K. In Tunisian climatic conditions, the ICSSWH system allows covering until 79.3% from a typical family need for a daily consumption of 170 L. The results found allow optimizing the energy gain of the ICSSWH as well as selecting a specific load volume according to the location. Especially, investigations showed that in Stockholm and Riadh climatic conditions, the ICSSWH's solar fraction reached 27% and 83%, respectively, for a daily load volume of 250 L. More importantly, the experimental effort of DST identification can be minimized by coupling DST data with a robust numerical approach.

Experimental assessment of novel designed solar hot water storage collector incorporating an array of partitioned ducts absorber

A Novel design of a solar water collector consisting of an array of adjacent partitioned ducts representing the collector absorber is investigated experimentally. Each duct is divided into two flow passages by a partitioned plate made from insulation material. The heated water flows over the partitioned plate to the storage tank, while the cold water flows from the storage tank to the duct down the portioned plate. The designed partitioned ducts solar collector (PDSC) performance is compared to conventional flat plate solar water collectors (FPSC) with the same dimensions and materials. The study is performed under hot weather conditions of upper Egypt for collectors’ tilt angles of; 17°, 27°, and 37°. The findings reveal that PDSC has higher storage water temperature, energy storage, energy efficiency, and lower energy losses. The PDSC has average daily efficiencies of 57.5%, 55.2%, and 47.5%, with enhancement percentages of 31.2%, 32.4%, and 38.6%, relative to the FPSC, at the studied tilt angles, respectively. The PDSC has average exergy efficiencies of 4.47%, 3.71%, and 2.89%, with enhancement percentages of 36.3%, 36.5%, and 41% relative to the FPSC, at the studied tilt angles, respectively. The maximum required thermosyphon heads of the PDSC are 0.8, 0.7, and 0.1, and the corresponding values of the FPSC are 1.7, 1.65, and 0.9 mm at the studied tilt angles, respectively.

Study on collection and retention efficiencies of a new integrated collector storage solar water heating system using a planar thermal diode: an experimental study.

Thermal diodes are a novel method to rectify the heat transfer mechanism and help reduce heat losses in solar thermal collectors during non-collection periods. The current study introduces and analyzes a new planar thermal diode integrated collector storage (ICS) solar water heating system using an experimental approach. This thermal diode ICS system has a simple, affordable structure composed of two parallel plates. Water serves as a phase change material to transfer heat through evaporation and condensation inside the diode. Three scenarios were considered to assess the dynamics of the thermal diode ICS: atmospheric pressure, depressurized thermal diodes, and Ppartial = 0, - 0.2, and - 0.4bar. The water temperature reached 40°C, 46°C, and 42°C in Ppartial = 0, - 0.2, and - 0.4bar, respectively. The heat gain coefficients are 38.61, 40.65, and 39.26 W/K, while the heat loss coefficients are 9.56, 5.16, and 7.03 W/K in Ppartial = 0, - 0.2, and - 0.4bar, respectively. The optimum heat collection and retention efficiencies are 45.3% and 33.5% in Ppartial = - 0.2bar. Hence, there is an optimum partial pressure to achieve the best performance, equal to - 0.2bar. The acquired results illustrate the robustness of the planar thermal diode in reducing heat losses and rectifying the heat transfer mechanism. Furthermore, despite the simple structure of the planar thermal diode, its efficiency is as high as that of other types of thermal diodes analyzed in recent studies.

A new TiBN conductive ceramic powder and its application in copper-based electrical contact materials

In this paper, a new TiBN micro-nano powder was synthesized by boronizing sintering method. The TiBN powder exhibits specific micro-nano composite structure, which is composed of TiBN crystal and amorphous layer of nanometer size. The amorphous structure mostly distributes along particle boundary with minimum thickness of 2 nm. The TiBN powder shows combined ceramic and metallic properties with an exordinary electrical conductivity, having an electrical resistivity of 2.655 × 10−5 Ωm (much better than that of TiN, TiCN, TiB2 and TiC). Solid dissolution of B into TiN decreases the number electron of the system and pull down the Fermi level, making the electron present a quasi-linear dispersion contributing to excellent electrical conductivity of TiBN powder. Such TiBN can be used as conductive phase and reinforcing phase in electrical contact materials. Additionally, the TiBN significantly improve the arc erosion resistance of copper-based electrical contact without reducing the electrical conductivity of copper. When the reinforced phase content was 2.5 wt%, the resistivity of Cu/TiBN was 0.26 × 10−6 Ωm, which was only 20.5% that of Cu/TiN. TiO2, Ti3O5, B2O3 and N2 were formed on the surface of Cu/TiBN samples during arc erosion. Such products can significantly enhance the arc erosion resistance of Cu/TiBN electrical contact materials. This TiBN powder synthesis route can be used to prepare bulk materials in engineering materials industry. In addition, it has attractive research value and broad application prospects in photovoltaic cells and energy storage collector applications including lithium batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells.

Thermal assessment of a new planar thermal diode integrated collector storage solar water heater in different partial vacuums: An experimental study

Thermal diodes are novel mechanisms with high thermal resistance in one direction and low thermal resistance in the other. The current study introduces a new planar thermal diode integrated collector storage (ICSs) system and analyzes its transient dynamics and performance under field conditions in several scenarios, including operating at atmospheric pressure and partial vacuums: Ptotal = 0.7 atm and 0.5 atm. The acquired data illustrate that the collector has approximately the same transient dynamics during the collection period, while differences pronounce during the retention period. Utilizing partial vacuums is tricky and may cause to decrease in performance; however, the best retention and collection efficiencies were obtained at 16.97% and 29.33% when Ptotal = 0.7 atm was utilized. Increasing the partial vacuums to Ptotal = 0.5 atm decreases the retention efficiency significantly to nearly 3.26%. The heat gain (forward mode) coefficient was not affected significantly by partial vacuums. However, the heat loss (reverse mode) coefficient was reduced by nearly 17.63% at Ptotal = 0.7 atm compared to atmospheric pressure. The calculated heat gain and heat loss coefficients are 9.28 W/k and 19.65 W/k at Ptotal = 0.7 atm; hence, the constructed thermal diode successfully serves as a unidirectional heat transfer mechanism.

Thermal Performance and Heat Dynamics Energy and Exergy of Integrated Asphalt Collector Storage: Sources of Thermal Energy, and Thermoelectric Energy

Having kilometers of asphalt road, yet with this heat going to waste, an attempt has been made in this research to extract the road's renewable energy heat. The purpose of the experiment is to compare the energy and exergy efficiency of various materials of asphalt solar water heaters (ASWH), as well as heat transmission through the water tube and how friction affects exergy destruction. The water flow rate of one ASWH was 0.01 kg/s, while that of the other was 0.02 kg/s. Each ASWH has an area of 0.5 square meters. The copper tube is buried 10 mm deep in the asphalt. 15 degrees is the angle of inclination. The results indicate that the energy and exergy efficiencies are reasonably high for the water flow rate of 0.02 kg/s. Depending on the water flow rate, asphalt temperature, and sunlight intensity, the energy and exergy efficiencies changed from 32% to 65% and 5.8% to 16%, respectively. The water flow rate is an essential parameter for estimating the internal convective heat transfer coefficient and Reynolds number in order to calculate the friction factor in the copper tube based on internal convection heat transfer. In contrast, the friction factor is a consequence of the pressure loss and exergy degradation induced by friction.

The Various Designs of Storage Solar Collectors: A Review

The use of solar energy to heat water is the more critical application of solar energy. Researchers are trying to develop different methods to improve the efficiency of solar water heaters to meet the increasing demand for hot water due to global population growth. To reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of solar heaters, the solar collector and the storage tank are combined into one part, and this system is called solar storage collector. It can be defined as geometric shapes filled with water, painted black, and placed under the influence of sunlight to gain the largest amount of solar energy. This article presents the various designs of solar storage collector. This review showed that design variables and design shape significantly affect the efficiency of the solar heating system. Climate and operational factors also have a strong influence on the performance of solar heating. Furthermore, scientists and researchers have also used nanotechnology, solar cells, and mirrors to improve other stored solar collectors' performance. Finally, recently published articles indicate an increase in interest in improving the efficiency of solar storage collector by creating new designs that enhance the economic and practical viability.

Performance analysis and experimental validation of a vee‐corrugated absorber integrated collector storage solar water heater

AbstractThis paper focuses on enhancing the energy collection efficiency of an integrated collector storage solar water heater (ICS SWH) by vee‐corrugating the absorber and optimizing the design for the vee‐included angle through simulation and experimental study. This paper presents an efficient algorithm for analyzing a vee‐corrugated absorber ICS SWH using Engineering Equation Solver Software. For validating this algorithm, two models of ICS SWH systems have been fabricated: one with a flat absorber and the other with a 60° vee‐included angle corrugated absorber with eight corrugations. The basic purpose of the fabrication of the flat absorber ICS SWH system was to approximate the absorptivity of the absorber. A typical value of 0.68 was estimated for the absorptivity of the aluminum absorber coated with nonselective black paint. After the experimental investigation of the 60° vee‐included angle ICS SWH system, it was found that the real‐time readings were in close agreement with the numerical model readings. For comparison with the previous work, a five‐corrugation system with an approximate 90° vee‐included angle with the same projected dimensions was modeled and the efficiencies of both the models for the time from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. were calculated. The efficiency of the eight‐corrugation model was 42.56%, which was better than the previous work of the five‐corrugation model, with a 38.86% efficiency for the same ambient conditions. Also, it was theoretically deduced that we had an optimized system at 18 corrugations and a vee‐included angle of 28.78°.

Numerical investigation of the effect factors on the performance of a novel PV integrated collector storage solar water heater

Due to the lower cost and compact structure, Photovoltaic Integrated Collector Storage Water heater combined (PV– ICSSWH) is an alternative form of PV/T system that differs from traditional flat-plate or vacuum tube PV/T system. An analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of operating parameters and structural factors on system performance. A numerical model was developed to predict the performance of the systems. To validate the numerical model, a prototype system was built and tested. The influence of solar radiation, ambient temperature, the thickness of systems, and the aspect ratio of systems was analyzed and the results indicate that: (a) The aspect ratio has a negligible effect on the efficiency. However, it has a significant influence on temperature stratification. (b) As the thickness of the system drops from 100 mm to 60 mm, its total efficiency descents from 55.1% to 52.7% and the relationship is given. (c) The total efficiency only decreases from 54.7% to 53.5%, when the solar radiation rises from 400W/m2 to 800W/m2. (d) As the ambient temperature increases from 283K to 303K, the total efficiency of the system ascends from 45.6% to 61.4%. (e) The total efficiency is about 48.0% in Lanzhou, China which is predicted.

Design, Energy, Environmental and Cost Analysis of an Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater Based on Multi-Criteria Methodology

The paper presents a design and operation analysis of an Integrated Collector Storage (ICS) solar water heater, which consists of an asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrating (CPC) reflector trough, while the water tank comprises two concentric cylinders. The annulus between these vessels is partially depressurized and contains a small amount of water in the bottom of the outer vessel which dominantly contributes to the heat transfer from the outer to the inner cylinder. A multi-criteria optimization algorithm is applied to re-evaluate the design specifications of the parabolic surface, thus modifying the design of the entire ICS system and predict the necessary number of units for achieving the highest possible effectiveness with minimized fabrication costs and environmental impacts. The environmental footprint of the device is assessed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The produced thermal energy in conjunction with the environmental and economic results are evaluated as a function of different configuration parameters regarding the water storage conditions, the solar radiation and the total pressure inside the annulus. The ultimate aim of the evaluation process is to offer new perspectives on the design principles of environmentally friendly and cost-effective devices with improved thermal performance.