Energy assessment of a double cover fat-plate solar collector

Abstract

Abstract
This study establishes the effect of the aspect ratio (ratio between length
and width of a constant collector area) on the thermal effciency of a fat- plate solar collector that uses a double cover for air heating. The analysis
has
two
approaches:
frst,
using
a
physical-mathematical model
that
develop a steady state analysis from a collector energy balance and the
second, using an instrumented prototype to calculate its performance in
experimental way. The collector confguration consists in a wood structure,
a double glass cover, an absorber plate of solar radiation and blower to
extract the heated air. To calculate the performance temperature data, solar
radiation and mass fow of air were automatically recorded for about 6
hours for several days and under different weather conditions in the city
of Montería, Cordoba.
In general it was found, for a constant collector area, where the thermal
effciency increases when the aspect ratio increases and that the theoretical
model fts in an acceptable way with the experimental results.