PERFORMANCE OF NATURAL CONVECTION SOLAR WATER HEATER

Abstract

As pointed out, the performance of natural convection solar water heater is strongly dependent on mass flow rate through the collector. Mass flow rate itself is a function of several parameters including inlet temperature, insolation and thermosyphon head. There is no well-established rational design procedure for natural convection solar water heaters because of very scanty information about the mass flow rate in such a system of given configuration. It is therefore essential that effort be made to establish relationship between mass flow rate and the system and operating parameters specifically the thermosyphon head, inlet temperature and the insolation so that the performance of the system can be rationally predicted. It was therefore proposed to design and fabricate an experimental set-up to collect data for mass flow rate as .a function of inlet temperature, thermosyphon head and insolation. This data has been processed and presented in the form of plots and results pertaining to the effect of various parameters on the mass flow rate have been discussed. It has been found that mass flow rate, in general increases with the increase of thermosyphon head and insolation and slightly decreases with an increase of inlet temperature. -- The following correlation has been developed for the mass flow rate as a function of other parameters. m = 5.9 x 1 O 6 x T-0.6866 x H0.3498 X 12.0462 The results predicted by the correlation were compared with the experimental data and it was concluded that correlation can be satisfactory used for the prediction of mass flow rate in natural convection solar water heater. iii