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Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors

Received: 9 November 2020     Accepted: 26 November 2020     Published: 4 December 2020
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Abstract

Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy on this planet. In Europe and other countries with relatively low temperatures, where hot water is one of the basic needs for human beings, solar collectors are used to fulfilling their needs. In this paper performance of the solar collector will be analyzed using ANSYS software. Under specific conditions, different analyses will be performed to evaluate the performance of a solar collector containing water as heat transfer fluid. A Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD analysis will be performed to check the heat transfer capability of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al). The surging temperature could cause deformation, so in this paper, ANSYS structural software will be used to analyze the sustainability of structure under solar heat, so the performance of each material in solar energy applications can be estimated. After these analyses, we will be able to predict the maximum output temperature accurately we can obtain at a different time of the day, and each temperature we will analyze the maximum deformation within the structure because the pipes of solar collectors are not usually too thick, so the selection of material for the pipe is crucial. The purpose of this work is to simulate the performance of solar collectors under specific conditions and understand the temperature distribution along with the collector and also analyze the deformation we can obtain at different temperatures.

Published in International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications (Volume 8, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13
Page(s) 139-144
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Solar Collectors, ANSYS, CFD, Structural, Heat Transfer

References
[1] M. Hissouf, M. Feddaoui, M. Najim, and A. Charef, “Performance of a photovoltaic-thermal solar collector using two types of working fluids at different fluid channels geometry,” Renew. Energy, vol. 162, pp. 1723–1734, 2020.
[2] R. Gopi, P. Ponnusamy, A. F. Arokiaraj, and A. Raji, “Materials Today : Proceedings Performance comparison of flat plate collectors in solar air heater by theoretical and computational method,” Mater. Today Proc., no. xxxx, pp. 0–3, 2020.
[3] Duffie JA, Beckman WA. Solar Engineering of thermal processes. 4th edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2013.
[4] Hotteland HC, Woertz BB. Performance of flat-plate solar-heat collectors. Trans ASME 1942; 64:91.
[5] Hottel HC, Whiller A. Evaluation of flat-plate collector performance. (P. I). In: Carpenter EF, editor. Transactions of the Conference on the Use of Solar Energy, 2. Tucson: University of Arizona Press; 1958. p. 74.
[6] Tabor H. Solar Energy Collector Design. In: Transactions of the Conference on the Use of Solar Energy, the Scientific Basis, Tuscon, Arizona, Oct. 31–Nov. 1, 1955, pp. 1–23.
[7] Faizal M, Saidur R, Mekhilef S, Alim MA. Energy, economic, and environmental analysis of metal oxides nanofluid for the flat-plate solar collector. Energy Convers Manag 2013; 76:162–8.
[8] Sachin Gupta, Sayali Rajale, Falgun Raval, Milan Sojitra, Arunendra Kumar Tiwari, Asim Joshi, Ramkishore Singh. Comparative performance analysis of flat plate solar collectors with and without aluminium oxide-based nano-fluid. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.08.797
[9] Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017, MESIC 2017, 28-30 June.
[10] Z. Jun, M. Ayaz Akbar, T. Manzoor, A. Ali, and M. Amjad, “CFD Analysis of Circular Pipe Flat Plate Solar Collector,” Int. J. Emerg. Trends Sci. Technol., vol. 04, no. 10, pp., 6266–6271.
[11] A. A. Hachicha, I. Rodríguez, O. Lehmkuhl and A. Oliva, On the CFD&HT of the Flow Around a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Under Real Working Conditions, Energy Proc. 49 (2014) 1379-1390.
[12] Yanjuan Wang, Qibin Liu, Jing Lei, and Hongguang Jin, Performance Analysis of a Parabolic Through Solar Collector with Non-Uniform Solar Flux Conditions, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 82 (2015) 236–249.
[13] M. Antonelli, A. Baccioli, M. Francesconi, R. Lensi, L. Martorano, Analysis of a low concentration solar plant with compound parabolic collectors and a rotary expander for electricity generation, Energy Procedia 45 (2014) 170–179.
[14] M. Antonelli, A. Baccioli, M. Francesconi, U. Desideri, L. Martorano, Electrical production of a small size Concentrated Solar Power plant with compound parabolic collectors, Renew. Energy 83 (2015) 1110–1118.
[15] P. Horta, J. C. C. Henriques, M. Collares-Pereira, Impact of different internal convection control strategies in a non-evacuated CPC collector performance, Sol. Energy 86 (2012) 1232–1244.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Muhammad Ayaz Akbar, Hafiz Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Mubashir Naveed, Hafiz Abdul Saboor, Dr. Tareq Manzoor. (2020). Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications, 8(6), 139-144. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13

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    ACS Style

    Muhammad Ayaz Akbar; Hafiz Muhammad Awais; Muhammad Mubashir Naveed; Hafiz Abdul Saboor; Dr. Tareq Manzoor. Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors. Int. J. Mech. Eng. Appl. 2020, 8(6), 139-144. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13

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    AMA Style

    Muhammad Ayaz Akbar, Hafiz Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Mubashir Naveed, Hafiz Abdul Saboor, Dr. Tareq Manzoor. Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors. Int J Mech Eng Appl. 2020;8(6):139-144. doi: 10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13,
      author = {Muhammad Ayaz Akbar and Hafiz Muhammad Awais and Muhammad Mubashir Naveed and Hafiz Abdul Saboor and Dr. Tareq Manzoor},
      title = {Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors},
      journal = {International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications},
      volume = {8},
      number = {6},
      pages = {139-144},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijmea.20200806.13},
      abstract = {Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy on this planet. In Europe and other countries with relatively low temperatures, where hot water is one of the basic needs for human beings, solar collectors are used to fulfilling their needs. In this paper performance of the solar collector will be analyzed using ANSYS software. Under specific conditions, different analyses will be performed to evaluate the performance of a solar collector containing water as heat transfer fluid. A Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD analysis will be performed to check the heat transfer capability of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al). The surging temperature could cause deformation, so in this paper, ANSYS structural software will be used to analyze the sustainability of structure under solar heat, so the performance of each material in solar energy applications can be estimated. After these analyses, we will be able to predict the maximum output temperature accurately we can obtain at a different time of the day, and each temperature we will analyze the maximum deformation within the structure because the pipes of solar collectors are not usually too thick, so the selection of material for the pipe is crucial. The purpose of this work is to simulate the performance of solar collectors under specific conditions and understand the temperature distribution along with the collector and also analyze the deformation we can obtain at different temperatures.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Numerical Investigation of the Performance of Solar Collectors
    AU  - Muhammad Ayaz Akbar
    AU  - Hafiz Muhammad Awais
    AU  - Muhammad Mubashir Naveed
    AU  - Hafiz Abdul Saboor
    AU  - Dr. Tareq Manzoor
    Y1  - 2020/12/04
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13
    T2  - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications
    JF  - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications
    JO  - International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Applications
    SP  - 139
    EP  - 144
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-0248
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijmea.20200806.13
    AB  - Solar energy is the most abundant form of energy on this planet. In Europe and other countries with relatively low temperatures, where hot water is one of the basic needs for human beings, solar collectors are used to fulfilling their needs. In this paper performance of the solar collector will be analyzed using ANSYS software. Under specific conditions, different analyses will be performed to evaluate the performance of a solar collector containing water as heat transfer fluid. A Computational Fluid Dynamics, CFD analysis will be performed to check the heat transfer capability of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al). The surging temperature could cause deformation, so in this paper, ANSYS structural software will be used to analyze the sustainability of structure under solar heat, so the performance of each material in solar energy applications can be estimated. After these analyses, we will be able to predict the maximum output temperature accurately we can obtain at a different time of the day, and each temperature we will analyze the maximum deformation within the structure because the pipes of solar collectors are not usually too thick, so the selection of material for the pipe is crucial. The purpose of this work is to simulate the performance of solar collectors under specific conditions and understand the temperature distribution along with the collector and also analyze the deformation we can obtain at different temperatures.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, COMSATS University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, PR China

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, PR China

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, COMSATS University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

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