SOLAR COLLECTORS

Werner Weiss
AEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC) A-8200 Gleisdorf, Feldgasse 19 AUSTRIA

Conversion of solar radiation energy into other energy forms

Source: ENREL

TYPES OF COLLECTORS

Plastic Absorber

Flat plate collectors

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR

Source: IEA SHC Task 33

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR
Transparent cover

Insulation Absorber plate

Tubes

Source: Consolar

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR

transparent cover connection pipe for absorber insulation

heat transfer medium pipe

framework structure

ABSORBER - TYPES

Meander absorber

Harp absorber

Manufacturing of a Solar Collector

Manufacturing of a Solar Collector

Source:GREENoneTEC / ESTIF

Manufacturing of a Solar Collector

Source:GREENoneTEC / ESTIF

Strip absorber

Strip Absorber

Strip Absorber

Local Production in Uganda

Thermographic Photographs of Various Absorber Types

Source: Treikauskas, Ingolstadt University

Absorber Material
Aluminum or Copper?

37%

63%

Aluminum Copper

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Ultrasonic or Laser Welding?

Ultrasonic or Laser?

2% 5% 8% 43%

43%

Laser welding Ultrasonic welding Soldering Mechanical Other (Glue, Plasma welding)

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Full Size or Strip Absorber

Full Size or Strip Absorber

8%

92%

Full Size Absorber Strip

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Absorber Colors
Blue or black?

5% 10%

85%

Blue Black Chrome Other (AIOx, NiOx, etc.)

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Snake Type or Register Absorber?

Snake Type or Register?

11% 38%

44% 7%

Snake Double Snake Register Double Register

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

CPC - COLLECTOR

CPC - COLLECTOR

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Heatpipe, Vitosol 300 (left) / Direct coupled Sydney Collector (right)

Direct flow U-tube with cylindrical absorber

Detail Sydney collector

Direct flow U-tube with flat absorber

Source: Frei, U.: Kollektoren in solarthermischen Systemen, SPF Solartechnik Prfung Forschung, TriSolar98

Lenz Tube

Source: SWW 08/20006 S.46

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Detail Sydney collector

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Evacuated Tube Collectors Heat Pipe

Evacuated Tube Collectors Heat Pipe

Heat Pipe Principle Wet Connection

Errorindication

V ac uu m p re se n t

Va cuu m fa ul ty

http://www.solardirect.com/

Evacuated Tube Collectors

THERMOSYPHON SYSTEM - China

Evacuated Tube Collectors

Source: Consolar

Concentrating Collectors

Parabolic Trough Collector

Working Principle - PTC

Tracking of the sun

Collector axis oriented north-south

Built Examples

Process Heat Collectors

AEE INTEC and Button Energy
70% 60%

2. Prototyp 2. Prototyp (mit evakuiertem Hllrohr) 2nd Prototype 2nd Prototype (evacuated glass tube)

Wirkungsgrad

50% 40% 30%

1. Prototyp
20% 10% 0% 0,00

0,05

0,10

0,15

0,20

0,25

0,30

(Tm-Tu)/IDNI in m K/W

Fresnel Process Heat Collector

PSE AG Germany

Aperture area: 88 m Working temperature: max. 200 C

CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS - CCSTaR

Universitat de les Illes Ballears

Process Heat Collectors

CPC Collector

1.00 0.90 0.80 0.70 Efficiency n 0.60 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.20 0.10 0.00 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Air 1 bar Air 0,01 bar Krypton 0,01bar

Concentration: 1,8x

Temperature difference T_Coll_mid - T_Amb [K]

LoCo EvaCo (Low concentrating evacuated flat collector), ZAE Bayern

COLLECTOR MATERIALS

ABSORBER MATERIALS THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY

absorber material

thermal conductivity [W/mK]

steel aluminium copper

50 210 380

ABSORBER COATING
Selective coating: Partially selective coating: Non selective coating: 0 < 0.2, > 0.9 0.2 < 0.5, > 0.9 0.5 < 1.0, > 0.9

Plain copper

black paint

galvanic coating

physical vapour deposition or sputtering

ABSORBER COATING

Source:Alanod-Sunselect / ESTIF

TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

cover Standard glass *) Standard glass, tempered Iron free glass, tempered Antireflective coated glass PMMA, ducted plate PMMA, double ducted plate

thickness [mm] 4 4 4 4 16 16

weight [kg/m] 10 10 10 10 5.0 5.6

solar transmittance 0.84 0.84 0.91 0.95 0.77 0.72

*) danger of breaking determined by high collector temperatures

Collector test

TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

4% Reflection

4% Reflection Standard Solar Glass

(42)

Standard Solar Glass

TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

Solar glass

Solar glass with antireflective coating

TRANSPARENT COVER MATERIALS

Solar transmission

AR coated

Uncoated

Incident angle (42)

Market Share of Clear and Structured Glass

9% 33%

59%

clear glass structured glass AR-glass

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

Glass Thickness

30%

70%

3,2 mm 4 mm

Source: Sonne, Wind und Wrme, 2009

INSULATING MATERIALS
max. allowable temperature [ ]

insulating material
Mineral wool

density [kg/m]

conductivity [W/mK] at 20C

> 200 > 200 > 200 < 130 < 80

60 - 200 30 - 100 130 - 150 30 - 80 30 - 50

0.040 0.040 0.048 0.030 0.034

Glass wool

Glass wool Polyurethane foam Polystyrol foam

Absorber Manufacturing Processes

Production Process Spot Welding
su ubstance-tosubstance co connections
-

Deficiencies not possible with all metals, susceptible to corrosion, ... low processing temperature (stagnation!!!), - emission of flux residues, no continuous substance-to-substance connection, - very high processing temperature, - micro-cracks in welding spots
-

Soft-Soldering Ultrasonic Welding Laser Welding Plasma Welding

very high processing temperature,

non substancetosubstance connections

Splicing Clamping (various designs)

low processing temperature (stagnation!!!), - low heat conductivity of adhesive, low heat conductivity of clamping (non uniform contact pressure, ..), ..

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR Simple Design

Modul Collector

Roof Integrated Collector

FLAT-PLATE COLLECTOR Advanced Design

Module Collector

Roof Integrated Collector

Physical Processes inside a Flat-Plate Collector

heat loss through the pane of glass reflection on absorber reflection on the pane of glass

occurrence of solar radiation

heat loss through the rear and side walls

Losses of a basic Flat-plate Collector

Source: Source: Wagner & Co.

Characteristic Values of Flat-plate and Evacuated Tube Collectors

Qcoll is the energy collected per unit collector area per unit time FR is the collectors heat removal factor

is the transmittance of the cover is the shortwave absorptivity of the absorber

G is the global incident solar radiation on the collector UL is the overall heat loss coefficient of the collector T is the temperature differential between the heat transfer fluid entering the collector and the ambient temperature outside the collector.

Collector Efficiency Curve

(tm ta)/G [Km/W]

Collector Efficiency

Nutzenergi useful energy e eingesetzteEnergie solar energy

(t m t a ) (t m t a ) = 0 a1 a2 G G

Collector Efficiency

s. T-Sol Collector data

Collector efficiency curve

Optical Losses
0,8 0,7 0,6 0,5

Thermal Losses

eta

0,4 0,3 0,2 0,1

Useful Energy

Stagnation Point
0 0 0,04 0,08 0,12 0,16

(TKm-TA) / GT [Km/W]

Efficiency of different collector types (calc)

Evacuated Tube Collector

Selective Flat-plate Collector

Uncovered Absorber Simple Flat-plate Collector

(tm ta)/G [Km/W]

Area Definitions

Apertur area

Possible Improvements of FPC

0.9 efficiency (based on aperture area) 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5
1 AR

Hermetically sealed collectors with inert gas fillings; operating temperature 80 to 120C Double covered flat-plate collectors; Vacuum flat-plate collectors; and combinations of the above mentioned
2 AR

0.4 0.3
3 AR

0.2 0.1 0 0

standard flat-plate collector

0.05 (T m-T a)/G in Km /W

0.1

0.15

Source: IEA SHC Task 33

Flat plate collectors

Register-Type Absorber
1100

11 pipes (d= 10 mm)

28

1700 0 1630 0

Flat plate collectors

12 m

Hydraulic connection of collectors