Tutorial Sheet-2

Solar Collectors
1. For a parabolic collector of length 2m, the angle of acceptance is 15o. Find the concentra-
tion ratio of the collector.
2. Data for a flat plate collector used for heating the building are given below:

Factor Specification
Location and latitude Baroda, 22o N

Day and time January 1, 11:30 —1 2:30(LST)

Annual average intensity of solar radiation 0.5 Langley/min

Collector tilt latitude + 15o

No. of glass cover 2

Heat removal factor for collector 0.810

Transmittance of glass 0.88

Absorptance of glass 0.90

Top loss coefficient for collector 7.88 W/m2 oC (6.80 kcal/hr m2 oC)

Collector fluid temperature 60oC

Ambient Temperature 15oC

Calculate
(i) Solar altitude angle

(ii) Incident angle,

(iii) Collector efficiency.

3. Data for a flat-plate collector used for heating are given below:

Factor Specification
Location and latitude Coimbatore 11o 00’ N

Day and time March 22, 14.30-15.30(LST)

Average intensity of solar radiation 560 W/m2
 Collector tilt 26o
No. of glass cover 2

Heat removal factor for collector 0.82

Transmittance of glass 0.88

Absorptance of glass 0.93

Top loss coefficient (UL) for collector 7.95 W/m2 oC

Collector fluid temperature 75oC

Ambient Temperature 25oC

Calculate:
(i) Solar altitude angle

(ii) Incident angle, and

(iii) Collector efficiency.

4. A flat-plate collector is made of a copper absorber plate, copper tubes fixed on the
underside and one glass cover. The following data is given:

Length of collector : 2.08 m

Width of collector : 1.07 m

Length of absorber plate : 2.0 m

Width of absorber plate : 0.98 m

Plate to cover spacing : 2.5 cm

Thermal conductivity of plate material : 350 W/m-K

Plate thickness : 0.15 mm

Plate absorptivity for solar radiation : 0.94

Plate emissivity for re-radiation : 0.14

Outer diameter of tube : 13.7 mm

Inner diameter of tube : 12.5 mm

Tubo centre-to-centre distance : 11.3 cm
Glass cover emissivity/absorptivity : 0.88
Extinction coefficient of glass : 19.0 m-1
Thickness of glass cover : 4 mm

Refractive index of glass cover relative to air : 1.526

Location of collector : Pune (18o 32’N, 73o 51’E )

Date : May 15
Time : 12 noon (IST)

Collector tilt : Latitude angle

o
Surface azimuth angle :0

Ib : 725 W/m2
Id (uniformly distributed over the sky) : 230 W/m2

Fluid to tube heat transfer coefficient : 205 W/m2-k

Water flow rate : 70 Kg/h

Water inlet temperature : 60o C

Ambient temperature : 25oC

Wind speed : 3.1 m/s

Black insulation thickness : 5 cm

Insulation thermal conductivity 0.04 W/m-K

Reflectivity of the surrounding surface : 0.2

Assume that the side loss coefficient is 10% of the bottom loss coefficient. Calculate,
i. The angle of incidence of beam radiation on the collector

ii. The total solar flux incident on the collector

iii. (τα)b and (τα)d

iv. The incident flux absorbed by the absorber plate,

v. The collector heat removal factor and overall loss coefficient

vi. Water outlet temperature, and

vii. The instantaneous efficiency
5. A liquid flat-plate collector for heating water is made of a non-sensitive aluminium ab-
sorber plate with integral in-linu tubes as shown in Fig. 4.16(b).

The following data is given

Length of collector 1.5 m

Width of collector 0.83 m

Length of absorber plate 1.4 m

Width of absorber plate 0.755 m

Thickness of absorber plate 2 mm

Thermal conductivity of aluminium 200 W/m-K

Plate absorptivity/emissivity 0.95

Number of glass covers 2

Spacing between absorber plate and first 12 mm

glass cover
Spacing between first and second glass cover 12 mm

Tubo centre-to-centre distance 3.4 cm

Tube outer diameter 1.1 cm

1. Tube inner diameter 0.9 cm

Glass cover emissivity/absorptivity 0.88

KδC 0.037 per plate

Index of refraction 1.526

Location of collector Mumbai (19.1oN)

Date February 12, 1980

Time 1400 h (LAT)

Collector tilt Latitude angle

Surface azimuth angle 0o

Ib 645 W/m2
Id 142 W/m2 (assume
 Uniformly distributed)
Water flow rate 33 litres/h

Water side heat transfer coefficient 325 W/m2-K

Water inlet temperature 70o

Ambient temperature 36o

Wind speed 1.25 m/s

Black insulation thickness 9 cm

Side insulation thickness 5 cm

Insulation thermal conductivity 0.05 W/m-K

Calculate the instantaneous efficiency and the exit temperature of the water.

6. (a) Calculate the variation in efficiency of a liquid flat-plate collector with the inlet tem-
perature. Given

Geometry of collector Absorber plate with tubes bonded below.

Length of collector 2.15 m

Width of collector 2.15 m

Width of plate 2m

Length of plate 2m
Plate thickness 1.2 mm

Plate material Aluminium (k = 210 W/m-K)

Tube material Aluminium

Tube outer diameter 15.9 mm

Tube inner diameter 12.7mm

Tube center-to-centre distance 20 cm

Bond resistance Negligible

Water inlet temperature 20, 50, & 80oC

Ambient temperature 20oC
Number of glass covers 2
 (τα)av 0.75
It 1000 W/m2

Overall loss coefficient 4 W/m2-K

Fluid to tube heat transfer coefficient 300 W/m2-K

Water flow rate 90 Kg/h

(b) Calculate the efficiency again if the following changes are made in the data.

Number of glass-cover 1
(τα)av 0.89

Ul 7.5 W/m2-K
Comment on the variations obtained in cases (a) and (b) and compare them with each other.

(c) Calculate the collector stagnation temperature for cases (a) and (b).
7. A liquid flat-plate collector has the following characteristic parameters:

FR(τα)av=0.73, FRUL=3.50 W/m2-K

In an experiment on such a collector, the following observations are recorded:

Collector water flow rate 0.02 kg/s = m2 of absorber area

Collector outlet temperature 72o

Ambient temperature 29o

An unshaded Pyranometer kept on a horizontal surface and a Pyrheliometer record 780
W/m2 and 680 W/m2 respectively. Calculate the collector inlet temperature.
Given:

Location 22o39/N, 88o27/E

Date September 13

Time 1100h (IST)

Slope of the collector 20o

Surface azimuth angle of the collector 45o

Reflectivity of the surrounding surface 0.2
8. The temperature rise across a flat-plate collector is measured to be 7.4oC under the fol-
lowing conditions:

Solar flux in the collector plate 970 W/m2

Ambient temperature 25oC

Collector fluid flow rate 144 kg/h

Collector overall loss coefficient 4.5 W/m2-K

Collector absorber area 2 m2

(τα)av 0.80

If the inlet fluid temperature is decreased by 10oC, the temperature rise across the collector
is 7.90C. All other data remains the same. Calculate the collector efficiency factor.

9. A liquid flat-plate collector has the following characteristic parameters:

FR(τα)av=0.68, FRUL=6.1 W/m2-K.

It is operating under the following conditions:

Solar flux incident on the collector plate 900 W/m2

Water flow rate 0.015 kg/s-m2 of absorber area

Ambient temperature 20o

Inlet water temperature 40o

(i) Calculate the mean absorber plate temperature of the collector if the collector ef-
ficiency factor is 0.90.
(ii) If the circulating pump fails, what is the maximum temperature attained by the
plate?
10. Calculate the useful gain, exit fluid temperature and collection efficiency for a cylindrical
parabolic concentrator system of 2m width and 8m length. The absorbing cylinder has a
diameter of 6 cm and the transparent cover has a diameter of 9 cm optical properties are
estimated as

𝜌 = 0.85, (𝜏. 𝛼) = 0.77, 𝛾 = 0.94

Heat transfer coefficient from fluid inside to surroundings,
Uo= 5.2 kcal/hr m2 oC (6.04 W/m2 oC)
Heat transfer coefficient from absorber cover surface to surroundings
 UL= 6.0 kcal/hr m2 oC (6.98 W/m2 oC)
The incident beam radiation on the aperture of the collector is 600 kcal/hr m2 oC (698
W/m2) and the ambient temperature id 25oC. The collector is designed to heat a fluid en-
tering the absorber at 150oC, at a flow rate of 400 kg/hr. the fluid has

Cp = 0.30 kcal/kg oC (1.256 kJ/kg oC).

11. Calculate the heat removal factor, the useful heat gain, the exit fluid temperature and the
collection efficiency for a cylindrical parabolic concentrator having 2.5 m width and 9 m
length, the outside diameter of the absorber tube being 6.5cm. The temperature of the fluid
to be heated at the inlet is 16oC with a flow rate of 450 kg/h. The incident beam radiation
is 700 W/m2. The ambient temperature is 28oC. The optical properties are as given below:
ρ = 0.85 (τα) = 0.78 τ = 0.93
a. cp = 1.256 kJ/kg oC

b. Collector efficiency factor F’= 0.85, Heat loss coefficient, Ul = 7.0 W/m2. oC.
12. Calculate the overall loss coefficient for an evacuated glass tube cylindrical parabolic fo-
cusing collector with the following data:
c. Absorber tube: Outer diameter : 6.5cm

a. Inner diameter : 6.0cm

d. Glass cover: Outer diameter : 15.8cm

a. Inner diameter : 15.0cm

e. Aperture : 1.90m
f. Length of concentrator : 3.50m
g. Emissivity of absorber tube surface : 0.22

h. Emissivity/absorptivity of glass : 0.88

i. Average temp. of absorber plate : 200oC

j. Ambient temp. : 20oC

13. Calculate the overall loss coefficient Ul for the receiver of a cylindrical parabolic concen-
trating collector system. The receiver consists of a selectively-coated absorber tube with
one glass cover around it. The following data is given:
 Absorber tube :
Outer diameter (Do) : 8.1 cm

Inner diameter (Di) : 7.5 cm

Glass cover:

Outer diameter (Dco) : 15.0 cm

Inner diameter (Dci) : 14.4 cm

Emissivity of absorber tube surface (εp) : 0.15

Emissivity/absorptivity of glass (εc) : 0.88

Mean temperature of absorber plate (Tpm) : 170oC

Ambient temperature (Ta) : 25oC

Wind Speed (𝑉∞ ) : 4 m/s

14. A cylindrical parabolic collector located in Mumbai, operating in tracking mode II, is used for
heating a thermic fluid. The concentrator has an aperture of 1.25 m and a length of 3.657 m,
while the absorber tube (3.81 cm inner and 4.135 cm outer diameter) has a concentric glass
cover (5.60 cm inner and 6.3 cm outer diameter) around it. A twisted tape with a tape twist ratio
of 4 is used inside the absorber tube. Values of other design parameters of the collector are as
follows:
Specular reflectivity of concentrator surface : 0.85

Glass cover transmissivity for solar radiation : 0.85

Glass cover emissivity/ absorptivity : 0.88

Absorber tube emissivity/ absorptivity : 0.95

Intercept factor : 0.95

Values of the operational and meteorological parameters are as follows:

Date : April 15

Time : 1230 h (LAT)

Ib : 705 W/m2

Id : 949 W/m2
Ambient temperature : 31.9oC
 Wind Speed : 5.3 m/s
Mass flow rate of thermic fluid : 0.0986 kg/s

Inlet temperature : 150oC

Calculate,
i. The slope of the aperture plane and the angle of incidence on the aperture plane,
ii. The absorbed flux S,

iii. The convective heat transfer coefficient on the inside surface of the absorber
tube,

iv. The collector heat removal factor and overall loss coefficient
v. The exit temperature of the thermic fluid,

vi. The instantaneous efficiency, and

vii. The pressure drop.

15. A cylindrical parabolic focusing collector is used for heating a thermic fluid (Cp = 2.2
KJ/Kg-K) which enters with a temp. of 160oC. The concentrator has an aperture of 1.8m
and a length of 3m. The absorber tube has an inner diameter of 2.8cm and outer diameter
of 3.2cm and has a concentric glass cover around it. Given that:

Specular reflectivity of concentrator surface : 0.82

Intercept factor : 0.91

(τα)b : 0.8
Beam radiation incident normally on aperture plane : 556 W/m2
Diffuse radiation incident on aperture plane : 152 W/m2
Overall loss coefficient : 9.5 W/m2-K

Convective heat transfer coefficient on inside of absorber tube : 325 W/m2-K

Ambient temperature : 27oC

Mass flow rate of fluid : 360 Kg/h

Calculate the useful heat gain rate, the exit temperature of the fluid and the instantane-
ous efficiency.
16. A cylindrical parabolic concentrating collector is operating under tracking mode II. It is
used for heating a thermic fluid (Cp = 2.3 KJ/Kg-K), which enters the receiver at a temper-
ature of 125oC with a flow rate of 330 Kg/h. The following data are available:
Location : 21o06’N, 79o03’E

Date : October 21
Time : 1400h (LAT)

Concentrator width : 2m
Concentration length : 6m

Absorber outer diameter : 8.1cm

Absorber inner diameter : 7.5cm

Collector overall loss coefficient : 6.2 W/m2-K

Convective heat transfer coefficient on the

Inside surface of absorber tube : 205 W/m2-k

Intercept factor : 0.94

Reflectivity of the concentrating surface : 0.86

(τα)b of the absorber and the cover assembly : 0.81

Ambient temperature : 23oC

Global solar radiation on horizontal surface : 681 W/m2

Diffuse solar radiation on horizontal surface : 136 W/m2

Calculate the exit temperature of the fluid, the useful heat gain rate and the instanta-
neous efficiency.