Modelling of the incident solar flux and simulation of the exit

temperature in a solar water collector

Julien RAJOMALAHY University Of Antananarivo

Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique d’Antananarivo
Petroleum Engineering Department
[email protected]
Lala ANDRIANAIVO University Of Antananarivo
Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique d’Antananarivo
Petroleum Engineering Department
[email protected]

Abstract—In this work, we have undertaken a theoretical and numerical study of a flat plate water solar collector in transient regimes.
The temperature of the absorber plate is the highest. This can be justified by its absorption capacity, which is important for solar
radiation. This phenomenon is more pronounced if the plate is covered by a selective layer. Mathematical modelling, based on the
global energy balance method, takes into account the initial conditions associated with the collector. The numerical simulation results
reveal the temperature profiles of the absorber, the glazing and the heat transfer fluid. The results highlight the influence of internal
parameters (optical and thermophysical properties of the various collector components) and external parameters (radiation, wind speed
and the effect of atmospheric turbulence on global radiation) on the instantaneous yield of the flat-plate collector. It is clear that the
instantaneous yield is a proportional function of the overall solar irradiation, which plays a dominant role. In addition, an increase in
ambient temperature helps to improve the collector's instantaneous yield.

Keywords—Solar water heater; Flat plate collector; Temperature; Solar flux; Modelling; Energy study

I. INTRODUCTION
Given the depletion of conventional energy sources and their negative impact on mankind and nature, it has become imperative
to use clean, non-polluting and free energy sources such as solar energy. The aim of this project is to use solar energy to obtain hot
water. As part of this project, we will be looking at the use of solar energy by thermal means, using a flat-plate solar collector to
produce hot water.
The use of renewable energies is nothing new. They have been exploited by mankind since the dawn of time. In the past, water
mills, windmills, firewood, animal traction and sailing boats made a major contribution to the development of mankind. They were
an economic activity in their own right, particularly in rural areas where they were as important and as diversified as food
production [1].
The main disadvantage of solar collectors is their conversion efficiency. A large proportion of the sun's light is not converted
into energy (electrical or thermal) because of losses through reflection and/or heating (increase in the temperature of the solar cells).
The incorporation of solar reflectors reduces reflection losses and the incorporation of heat exchangers under the cells allows them
to be cooled, thereby minimising thermal losses.

II. PARAMETERS OF THE FLAT PLATE SOLAR COLLECTOR

A. Description
This is the most common model. It consists of an insulated box covered by glass (Figure 1). Inside is the absorber, a coil
containing the fluid to be heated. To help the coil absorb the heat, it is edged with black fins, as the black color transforms the
absorbed heat more effectively. In this type of model, the absorber is protected against heat loss by an insulating material (usually
rock wool) [2].
The pane is made from toughened glass that is highly resistant to weathering and hail, highly transparent (low iron content) and
specially designed to have a low level of reflection in order to store as much heat as possible. The reason why these collectors are
the most popular is that they are [2]:
 Robust and simple in structure.
 Technically advanced (glass quality, insulation).
  An unrivalled price/performance ratio.
 Easy to integrate thanks to their flat surface.
 Discreet when mounted on the roof.

Fig. 1. Glazed flat-plate solar collectors)

B. System installation
Join the blades (A) and (E) for the bases and the blades (A) and (C) for the sensor bases, so as to obtain a parallelogram frame,
as shown in (Figure 2). Bend the 4 blades (D) as shown in the diagrams. Lift the tiles and place the twisted blades (D) on the
wooden or concrete beams of the roof. Screw the parallelogram frame (A)+(C) or (E) very tightly onto the slats (D). Level the
frame and screw the slats (D) tightly onto the roof beams as shown in (Figure 2). To ensure that the base is securely in place, also
use the metal straps. Lift the tiles and pass the straps through [3].

Fig. 2. Support base assembly diagram

 III. MODELLING AND SIMULATION

A. Heat balance of the collector

A mathematical model describing a planar solar collector considering the transient properties of its different zone. In this
proposed model, the control volume analysis of the planar solar collector contains a tube that is divided into four nodes (glass
cover, absorber, fluid and insulation) perpendicular to the liquid flow direction (see Figure 3).

Fig. 3. Flat water thermal sensor

 Energy balance (Figure 4) for transparent roofing [5].

Fig. 4. Transparent cover

(1)
 Energy balance (Figure 5) for the absorber plate

Fig. 5. Absorber plate

(2)
 Heat transfer fluid energy balance (Figure 6)
 Fig. 6. Heat transfer fluid

(3)
 Energy balance (Figure 7) for insulation

Fig. 7. Insulation

(4)
The useful thermal energy gained is :

(5)
The thermal efficiency of the collector is given by the following relationship

(6)
B. Simulation principle
The model is composed of a system of equations showing the heat exchange at the collector. In this numerical calculation, the
4th-order Runge-Kutta method was chosen to solve this system of equations on a MATLAB environment. The system of equations
and the heat transfer coefficients are solved with initial temperatures. The thermo-physical parameters used in the calculation are
shown in Table 1.

TABLE I. INPUT PARAMETERS FOR PLANAR SENSOR SIMULATION

Parameter Value
32.39°N
n 200
Dint 0.022
Dext 0.0233
WL 1.5
ec 0.12
ec 0.001
er 0.001
v 1
ei 0.04
0.045
5.675×10-8
840
 383
1500
2700
8954
0.85
The Runge-kutta method of order 4 is written by the following relation [6] :

Fig. 8. Simplified flow chart for sensor simulation

The convergence criteria are given by :

The choice of the ξ value is important to ensure convergence (Figure 8).

IV. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

A. Temporal variation in solar power received and absorbed

The choice of system depends mainly on its operating characteristics. Since solar irradiation is the parameter that has the
greatest influence on system operation, it would be interesting to study its effect on these characteristics. Figure 9 shows the
temporal evolution of global solar radiation (G) received per square metre of horizontal flat surface and the power absorbed by the
pane (Pv) and by the absorber (pab ) for a simple system. It can be seen that power peaks between 12:00 and 14:00. The variation
curves for the power absorbed by the pane and the absorber follow the same law as the temporal variation of the global radiation,
since these powers are linked to the global radiation by linear laws. Roman symbols for quantities and variables, but not Greek
symbols. Use a long dash rather than a hyphen for a minus sign. Punctuate equations with commas or periods when they are part of
a sentence, as in

Fig. 9. Variation over time in solar power received and absorbed

 The power absorbed by the pane is not considerable and is always less than that absorbed by the absorber. This is due to its
geometric (thin Ev =3mm) and optical (low absorption coefficient and high transmission coefficient) characteristics. The power
absorbed by the absorber is very high, accounting for a large proportion of the overall radiation absorbed (G).

B. Time variation of temperatures in different parts of the sensor

Figure 10 shows that the highest temperature is that of the absorber, due to the high power it absorbs. There is a small difference
between the temperatures of the absorber and the heat transfer fluid, mainly due to the high convection coefficient between the two.
The temperature of the glass pane is slightly lower, due to the fact that it is affected by the action of the wind, which causes heat
loss by convection with the ambient air.

Fig. 10. Temperature variation over time in different parts of the sensor

C. Time variation of instantaneous efficiency

Analysis of the behaviour of a collector over the course of a day (Figure 11) shows that the yield increases gradually in the early
hours of the day, reaching maximum values between 10:00 and 12:00, although solar irradiation starts to decrease from 13:00 local
time, which seems to be in good agreement with the results found in the literature.
 Fig. 11. Variation in instantaneous yield over time

D. Effect of internal parameters

1) Time variation of the Prandtl number
Figure 12 shows the time variation of the Prandtl number, which decreases to reach its minimum between 12:00 and 13:00. This
variation is directly influenced by the temperature of the fluid.

Fig. 12. Temporal variation in the Prandtl number

 2) Time variation of Reynolds number.
The variation of the Reynolds number increases with time, as shown in Figure 13, and this increase is conditioned by the
increase in the temperature of the coolant. The Reynolds number is the ratio between the force of inertia and the force of viscosity,
which evolve contrary to the evolution of the temperature of the fluid. However, the decrease in the force of inertia is clearly less
than that of the force of viscosity, which will ensure an increase in the Reynolds number with the temperature of the fluid.

Fig. 13. Reynolds number variation over time

V. DISCUSSION
The hot water production system uses the solar collector, which converts direct and diffuse solar radiation into heat. The solar
fluid is a mixture of water and glycol. After absorbing the solar energy, it leaves the collector at temperature T1 using a pump
operated by a controller. This allows the solar fluid to transfer the heat collected to a tank of water to be heated via a coil (storage
tank).
This is because the reduction in kinematic viscosity leads to a reduction in the energy expended to convey the fluid. In addition,
the greater the thermal diffusivity of the fluid, the faster the propagation of heat. The combination of these two facts, conditioned by
the increase in fluid temperature, explains the decrease in the Prandtl number as the temperature of the heat transfer fluid increases.
In addition, to achieve good efficiency, you need :
 Maintain a small temperature difference between the absorber and the transparent cover to reduce convective heat loss at
the front of the collector.
 Choose a low heat transfer fluid inlet temperature.
 A high flow rate to improve the useful energy recovered

VI. CONCLUSION
After a brief presentation of some astronomical data, we gave an overview of the state of the art in flat-plate solar collectors.
Our interest was then focused on the different coefficients of heat exchange by radiation between the glass and the absorber on the
one hand, and between the glass and the ambient air on the other, which come into play inside a collector in order to establish the
equations governing the thermal behaviour of this device in the transient regime. The system of equations is solved using the
Runge-Kutta 4th-order numerical method.
 To this end, a system of equations governing the thermal behaviour of the collector and the various heat exchange coefficients
was established. A mathematical simulation was used to obtain graphical results, followed by an analysis at . We can see that :
 Using an absorber with high specific heat, thermal conductivity and absorptivity improves instantaneous efficiency.
 The transparent cover must have good transmissivity of visible radiation and be thin in order to minimise its thermal
inertia.
 The heat transfer fluid must have high specific heat and thermal conductivity, as well as low dynamic viscosity and
density.

REFERENCES

[1] A. Fernandez-Garcia, E. Zarza, L. Valenzuela, and M. Perez, "Parabolic-trough solar collectors and their applications," J. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 4(7),
1695-1721, 2010
[2] F. TOUR and A. I. GUENANECHE, "étude de l'effet de la mini-concentration solaire dans un capteur solaire plan a air," Centre Universitaire BELHADH
BOUCHAIB d'Ain T'émouchent, 2017
[3] S. . Helioakmi, "Systeme a cerculation forcée manuel technique," megasun, no. 1.
[4] K.F. Riley, M.P. Hobson and S.J. bence, mathematical methods for physics and engineering, third Edition, M. P. Hobson and S. J. Bence, (2006). J. Bence,
(2006).
[5] Sami, S, Lafri, D et Hamid, A., ''Etude du comportement thermique d'une installation de chauffage d'eau collective'', Revue des Energies.
[6] Sami, S., ''Etude et réalisation d'une installation de chauffage d'eau sanitaire d'une capacité de 1500 litres'', Rapport interne -CDER- Décembre (2000)..