NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF A FLAT PLATE SOLAR COLLECTOR WITH TRANSPARENT INSULATION AND OVERHEATING PROTECTION SYSTEM

摘要

This work has addressed the development of a flat plate solar collector with transparent insulation material and overheating protection system. A prototype has been constructed and tested according to ISO procedures including steady state efficiency and heat loss test. A numerical simulation program has also been developed able to predict the efficiency and heat losses of the collector by a discrepancy that does not exceed 3% and 8% respectively. The designed ventilation channel with thermally actuated door has shown its ability to maintain low enough temperatures in the collector preventing the collector from stagnation conditions.