Performance of Integral Collector Storage Systems of Oval Section Tanks
Abstract
When solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems are analyzed, it has been proved that consumers rank the environmental benefits very low and most of them make their purchase decisions based on utility bills and saving money (Morrison and Wood, 1999). In addition, just those countries that have implemented promotional politics on the use of renewable energy have achieved good results on the deployment of the technologies and the replacement of fossil fuels (Streimikiene and Girdzijauskas, 2009) (Haas et al., 2004) In this context, many countries, like Argentina, which do not have yet a politics and clear laws to support the renewable energies, need to impose their products based mostly in the low price of them. In contrast, one of the main drawbacks of many solar applications, like is the case of solar domestic hot water, are their expensive initial costs (Hawlader et al., 1987). Then, the use of Integral Collector Storage (ICS) systems in these situations results very competitive, since these systems are composed by just one unit, in comparison with active or thermosyphon systems that require at least to big components, the flat plate collector and the insulated storage tank.