A TRNSYS Type for the Simulation of Temperature Limiting Heat Pipe Collectors
Abstract
A number of simulation programs are already able to represent a temperature limitation in solar thermal collectors with the use of a two-part collector efficiency curve. The use of this procedure for the simulation of temperature limiting heat pipe collectors will lead to deviations in the thermal behavior of the collector, since the temperature limiting process varies with both temperature and power. This work presents a TRNSYS type which is able to correctly represent the temperature limitation of heat pipes in solar thermal collectors. For this purpose, the existing TRNSYS type 832 is modified regarding the correct temperature limitation behavior. This type is validated with real measurement data, which shows only minor deviations between simulation and measurement of less than 5 % regarding the solar yield of the collector. Furthermore, the type is used in system simulations to identify the energetic impact of the temperature limitation onto the solar system performance.