Experimental Investigations using partial Porous Medium inside the Channels of Flat Plate Solar Water Collectors

Abstract

Commercial solar water heating collectors are usually oversized in order to satisfy a heat demand and this increases their manufacturing cost. It is possible to reduce the size of collectors if heat transfer from the channel walls to the working fluid is increased. To enhance the heat transfer to the working fluid a metal porous medium placed inside pipes. The presence of a metal porous medium made of aluminium or stainless steel results in the increase of the interface between the fluid and absorber, diffusion in the near wall flow and increases in the heat transfer rate. The aim of this study is to experimentally investigate the effect of heat transfer inside the channels, partially filled with porous medium, of a simplified flat plate solar water collector for application in the Southern Europe.

Experimental Evaluation of a Flat Plate Solar Collector Under Hail City Climate

“…Authors in [4] reviewed applications of nanofluid in evacuated tube and flat plate solar collectors from efficiency, economic and environmental considerations and concluded that nanofluids offer a better alternative to conventional fluid. Authors in [5] presented theoretically and experimentally the enhancement of heat transfer to the working fluid with a metal porous medium placed inside pipes. The metallic mesh inserted in the collector, provided a higher water temperature compared to the conventional collector and it is the presence of the aluminum mesh inside the channels that distributes heat more evenly.…”

Experimental Investigation of Solar Flat Plate Collector with Inner Grooved Copper Tube

“…Amrutkar et al [8] designed a flat plate collector with different geometric absorber configuration at laboratory IS condition, and their study explained that for the same outlet temperature as that of conventional one we can reduce the area and number of tubes with change in absorber geometry. Iordanou [9] experimentally enhanced the heat transfer rate of flat plate collector with Aluminium/stainless steel porous medium insertion to the copper tubes. This results in increase in contact area of fluid to the absorber and also even distribution of heat to the fluid so that outlet temperature was increased.…”