Measured performance results: low-cost solar water heating systems in the San Luis Valley

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6637142· OSTI ID:6637142

Swisher, J

The measured performance of seven low-cost solar water heating systems in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado is summarized. During the summer and fall of 1981, SERI monitored a variety of low-cost solar water heating system designs and components. Five systems had site-built collectors, and four included low-cost tank-in-jacket heat exchanger/storage tank components. Two were air-to-water systems. The five liquid-based systems included a drain-down design, a propylene glycol-charged thermosiphon system, and three pumped-glycol systems. The pumped-liquid systems performed the best, with system efficiencies greater than 20% and solar fractions between 40% and 70%. Tjhe air-to-water systems did not perform as well because of leakage in the collectors and heat exchangers. The thermosiphon system performed at lower efficiency because the collector flows were low.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77CH00178
• OSTI ID: 6637142
• Report Number(s): SERI/TR-254-1727; ON: DE83006488
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140907* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Water Heating
ALCOHOLS
APPLIANCES
COLORADO
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTAINERS
DATA
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DRAIN-DOWN SYSTEMS
EFFICIENCY
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GLYCOLS
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEATERS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
INSOLATION
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PUMPS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR FRACTION
SOLAR WATER HEATERS
TANKS
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
TESTING
THERMOSYPHONS
USA
WATER HEATERS