Description
This equipment shows how a flat plate solar thermal energy collector works. It allows students to measure and find the efficiency and heat losses of a flat plate solar thermal energy collector. The collector has a purpose designed and built panel for quality and reliability. The panel has a thin sheet metal absorber backed by riser tubes and insulating material to reduce heat loss to the rear. A box with a clear cover encloses the panel, forming the collector. A sturdy mobile frame supports the collector. To allow users to adjust its angle, the frame has a hinge. Cold mains water enters the collector. Sunlight energy heats the water in the collector. The heated water returns to a pump that mixes the heated water with the incoming cold water. A pressure sensitive valve allows the heated water to leave the equipment at the same rate as cold water enters it. A flow transducer measures the water fl ow rate and a solarimeter (or pyranometer) measures incident radiation. Thermocouples measure the water temperature at all the important points, and the shade temperature. The separate Instrumentation Unit displays the temperatures from the thermocouples, the fl ow rate and the radiation intensity. It includes a switch to control the pump and a socket for connection to optional . For quick and reliable tests, we can supply the optional (Versatile Data Acquisition System). gives accurate real-time data capture, monitoring and display, calculation and charting of all the important readings on a computer. Computer not supplied. To compare efficiencies, the Flat Plate Solar Thermal Energy Collector is an ideal companion to Focusing Solar Energy Collector
Learning Outcomes
- Efficiency of the collector
- Efficiency and heat losses
- Effect of collector angle
Specifications
- ATICO is committed to a programme of continuous improvement; hence we reserve the right to alter the design and product specification without prior notice.
- Nett dimensions:
360 mm x 180 mm x 330 mm and 8 kg (230 VAC unit) or 13 kg (110 VAC unit). - Packed dimensions:
14 kg (230 VAC unit) or 19 kg (110 VAC unit) and 0.06 m3 - Instruments and controls:
Multiline display of fl ow, temperatures and radiation intensity
Operating Conditions
- Operating environment:
Laboratory - Storage temperature range:
–25°C to +55°C (when packed for transport) - Operating temperature range:
+5°C to +40°C - Operating relative humidity range:
80% at temperatures < 31°C decreasing linearly to 50% at 40°C
