An experimental study of the solar collection performance of liquid-type solar collectors under various weather conditions

Abstract

To design and use a solar heating system properly, it is very important to evaluate the performance of its solar collector. Because the solar collection efficiency of a solar collector depends on the amount of solar radiation, the conditions of the heating medium (e.g., flow rate and inlet temperature), and the outside air temperature, it is necessary to consider the performance of the solar collector in actual weather conditions that are likely to prevail when using the system for heating and hot water. In the present study, test equipment was manufactured to measure the efficiency of solar collectors. Using this equipment, the heating characteristics of seven types of solar collectors were measured. In addition, the amount of solar heat collected per unit area was calculated for seven regions in Japan to compare the solar collection performance for different weather conditions, such as the outside temperature and the amount of solar radiation. In addition, the amount of solar heat collected per unit area was calculated for seven regions in Japan to compare the solar collection performance for different weather conditions, such as outside temperature and the amount of solar radiation. The results show that the solar collection performance is climate dependent and that it is necessary to select a suitable collector for each region through a preliminary examination of the solar collection in the initial design stage.