Theoretical efficiency and practicality of the solar trough collector / Tikrit-Iraq

Abstract

An experimental and theoretical study was conducted to attain solar collectors’ thermal efficiency. Testing was done during May of 2019 on a solar collector’s surface at the Physics Department of the University of Tikrit. The absorbent tubes used had a length of 1.5 m, were painted black, made of copper, had an outer diameter of 0.03 m, internal diameter of 0.028 m, and a tank capacity of 40L. By entering these specifications along with those of the solar collector, the theoretical thermal efficiency was calculated. The findings showed that practical efficiency curves and useful thermal energy absorbed by the water contained goes down when using copper tubing. The results also illustrated that useful thermal energy and thermal efficiency increases along with increasing the mass flow rate of water.