Experiment no.

2
Objective
To determine the thermal output and its efficiency by changing its flow rate.

Apparatus
 Halogen lamp
 Flat plate collector
 Submersible pump

Theory
A solar thermal collector collects heat by absorbing sunlight. A collector is a device for capturing
solar radiation. Solar radiation is energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation from the
infrared (long) to the ultraviolet (short) wavelengths. The quantity of solar energy striking the
Earth’s surface (solar constant) averages about 1000 watts per square meter under clear skies,
depending upon weather conditions, location and orientation.
The term “solar collector” commonly refers to solar hot water panels, but may refer to
installations such as solar parabolic troughs and solar towers; or basic installations such as solar
air heaters. The concentrated solar power plants usually use the more complex collectors to
generate electricity by heating a fluid to drive a turbine connected to an electrical generator.
Simple collectors are typically used in residential and commercial buildings for space heating.
The first solar thermal collector designed for building roofs was patented by William H. Goettl
and called the “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof”.

 Glass
Toughened glass (glazing) protects the absorber from the outside environment while
allowing through > 90% of sunlight.

 Absorber
A thin sheet of Aluminum is coated with a highly selective material that is extremely
efficient at absorbing sunlight and converging it into usable heat. The Aluminum sheet is
ultrasonically welded to the copper rise pipes.

 Insulation
The insulation helps reduce heat loss from the sides and back of the collector, made from
ultra-light weight melamine foam. This material is chosen to greatly reduce the weight of the
collector.

 Back sheet
An Aluminum alloy sheet seals the back of the panel and adds to the rigidity of the collector.
  Riser & header pipe
The header and riser pipes are brazed together to form a harp shaped heat exchanger that the
solar system heat transfer fluid circulates through. The absorber sheet is ultrasonically
welded to the riser pipes, thus transfers heat to the heat transfer fluid.

 Aluminum Rails
Extruded from high tensile 6063 Aluminum alloy, the rails form the outer framework of the
collector and are designed with wings for easy mounting frame attachment.

Procedure
 Set the apparatus according to the requirements.
 Switch on the halogen lamp.
 The flat plate collector place parallel to the surface.
 The flow rate of the water is varied with the knob and determines its thermal output
power.
 Note its illuminance value in kW/m2.
 Note the temperature values on different flow rates.
 At the end calculate its efficiency by using thermal output power.

Observations and calculations

Flow Temp Temp Temp Temp Thermal Illuminance Efficiency

rate diff output
F T1 T2 T3 T2-T1 P R 𝜼
L/h oC oC oC oC kW kW/m2 %
Graphs

Conclusion
At the end of experiment it is concluded that by changing the flow rate of water inside the
collector plate is output power decreases and due to output power its efficiency also decreased.
 Experiment no. 3
Objective
To investigate the angle of inclination between collector surface and power direction of radiation
on thermal power output.

Apparatus
 Halogen lamp
 Flat plate collector
 Submersible pump

Theory
Flat-plate thermal solar collectors are the most commonly used type of solar collector. Their
construction and operation are simple. A large plate of blackened material is oriented in such a
manner that the solar energy that falls on the plate is absorbed and converted to the thermal
energy thereby heating the plate. Tubes or ducting are provided to remove heat from the plate,
transferring it to a liquid or gas, and carrying it away to the load. One (or more) transparent
(glass or plastic) plates are often placed in front of the absorber plate to reduce heat loss to the
atmosphere. Likewise, opaque insulation is placed around the backside of the absorber plate for
the same purpose. Operating temperature up to 125 oC are typical.
Flat plate collectors have the advantage of absorbing not only the energy coming directly from
the disc of the sun (beam normal insulation) but also the solar energy that has been diffuse into
the sky and that is reflected from the ground. Flat plate thermal collectors are seldom tracked to
follow the sun’s daily path across the sky; however their fixed mounting usually provides a tilt
toward the south to minimize the angle between the sun’s rays and the surface at noontime and
more total energy over the entire day. A solar flat plate collector typically consists of a large heat
absorbing plate, usually a large sheet of copper or aluminum as they are both good conductors of
heat, which is painted and chemically etched black to absorb as much solar radiation as possible
for maximum efficiency, this blackened heat absorbing surface has several parallel copper pipes
or tubes called risers, running length ways across the plate which contains the heat transfer fluid,
typically water.
These copper pipes are bonded, soldered or brazed directly to the absorber plate to ensure
maximum surface contact and heat transfer. Sunlight heats the absorbing surface which increases
in temperature. As the plate gets hotter this heat is conducted through the risers and absorbed by
the fluid flowing inside the copper pipes which is then used by the household.
The pipes and absorber plate are enclosed in an insulated metal or wooden box with a sheet of
glazing material, either glass or plastic on the front to protect the enclosed absorber plate and
create an insulating air space. This glazing material does not absorb the suns thermal energy to
any significant extent and therefore most of the incoming radiations is received by the blackened
absorber.
Procedure
 Set the apparatus according to the requirements.
 Switch on the halogen lamp.
 The flat plate collector place parallel to the surface.
 The angle of inclination varies from 60 to 0 degrees clockwise.
 Flow rate is kept constant.
 Note its illuminance value in kW/m2/
 Note the temperature values on different inclined positions.
 At the end calculate its efficiency by using thermal output power.

Observation and calculations

Serial Angle in T1 T2 Flow Irradiance Power Thermal Efficiency
no. degrees oC oC rate (R) input power %
L/h kW/m2 (R*A) output
kW kW
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Sample calculations
Area = 320mm*340mm
Power input = R*A
Power output = m.Cp.Δ𝑇.cosα
Efficiency = output / input

Conclusion
At the end of the experiment it is concluded that illuminance is inversely proportional with
collector efficiency. By changing its angle its intensity varies and hence thermal power output
decreases.