Forced- and natural-convection studies on solar collectors for heating and cooling applications. Final report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6466106· OSTI ID:6466106

Pearson, J. T.

An experimental and analytical study has been conducted on convection in air-heating solar collectors for heating and cooling applications. During the first phase of the investigation, literature and technology surveys were conducted which determined that improvement in the overall conductance between the absorber and the flowing air was an area that needed much improvement. Theoretical and experimental studies were then performed to obtain several absorber-convector configurations which have superior heat transfer performance, modest pressure drop penalties, and a high potential for economical manufacturing. Four surfaces which may be fabricated from aluminum or steel are recommended. Three utilize corrugated sheets bonded to the backplate and/or the back side of the absorber. These three surfaces are recommended for applications where airflow behind the absorber is appropriate. For those applications where airflow above the absorber is appropriate, a louvered surface which can be fabricated from metal or plastic is recommended.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA). Heat Transfer Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-78CS35366
• OSTI ID: 6466106
• Report Number(s): ALO-5366-4; ON: DE83009863
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR AIR HEATERS
CONVECTION
ALUMINIUM
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
HEAT TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUSSELT NUMBER
RECOMMENDATIONS
SOLAR ABSORBERS
STEELS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TEST FACILITIES
TESTING
THERMAL EFFICIENCY
AIR HEATERS
ALLOYS
EFFICIENCY
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
HEATERS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
METALS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
141000* - Solar Collectors & Concentrators
140901 - Solar Thermal Utilization- Space Heating & Cooling