Performance of Wall-Mounted Non-Tracking Solar Thermal Collector with a Parabolic Mirror for Concentration
Abstract
This study examined the performance of a solar collector with a linear parabolic mirror mounted vertically on walls. In order to simplify the system, it does not have sun tracking function and focuses on hot water supply only during winter which dominates annual hot water demand. The objectives are to design optimal shape of the parabolic concentrator by simulations and to demonstrate the heat recovery by experiments. The inclined angle and the focal length of the paraboloid are the design parameters. Since the parabolic mirror does not truck the sun, there should be the optimal setting of the design parameters which maximize the thermal energy collection during winter season. The simulation results indicated that the inclined angle of 25 ° and the focal length of 95 mm would be optimal, based on which the proposed collector was made and tested outdoors. The experimental results showed that the temperature of the hot water actually gained 45.8 degC in February, 2015.
Keywords
Solar water heater, Parabolic mirror, Solar concentration