Study on a Tracking Solar Collector
Abstract
Tracking solar collectors have been investigated by many researchers. Based on the weather data file of the Danish Design Reference Year, the weather data measured at Technical University of Denmark in the period 1990 to 2002, the weather data for Sisimiut and TRNSYS weather data file, the efficiencies and incidence angle modifiers (IAM) of solar collectors from Arcon Solvarme A/S, Denmark and BATEC A/S, Denmark, the performance for azimuth tracking solar collectors and the ratio of the performance between a azimuth tracking solar collector and a stationary solar collector were theoretically studied by Andersen et al. (2010). One-axis sun tracking and two-axis sun tracking systems have been discussed by Kalogirou (1996) and Bakos (2006). Investigations on the principle of a sun tracking system for maximizing the solar heating system performance have been carried out by Hossein et al. (2009). In this paper, the efficiency and IAM of two solar collectors are determined. One of the collectors is installed in a stationary test facility, the other collector is installed in an azimuth tracking test facility. The thermal performances of the stationary and the tracking solar collectors are measured for a long period. The measured and calculated daily thermal performances are compared both for the stationary and the tracking solar collectors. The simulation models for calculating the thermal performances of the stationary and the tracking solar collectors are validated. Further, the yearly thermal performances of the stationary and the tracking solar collectors are determined with the validated models. In this way, the benefits by the tracking collector on the yearly thermal performance of the solar collector are determined. The results are compared with the results from Andersen et al. (2010).