NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE INSULATION USE POSSIBILITY IN THE GLASS TUBE SOLAR COLLECTOR WITH A FLAT ABSORBER PLATE

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical investigation of the new solar collector (SC) type – the glass tube SC with a fixed flat absorber plate and with insulation (FFAPI). The thermal performance of the FFAPI was analyzed using Ansys Fluent software. The reference sample (to justify the FFAPI application) was played by the (control) glass tube SC with a flat absorber plate and without insulation (FFAP). Both SCs are composed of the same glass and absorber dimensions. The ambient conditions of their work are also the same. Two variables are defined for an arbitrarily chosen summer day (26 July – weather file downloaded from the Ansys Fluent database). The first variable is the water inlet temperature (40°C, 45°C, and 50°C). The second variable is solar radiation, which is a function of time (8:00 h, 10:00 h, 12:00 h, 14:00 h, and 16:00 h). In the first case (water inlet temperature 40°C), the FFAPI heat power is 0.63-12.83% higher than the FFAP. With increasing temperatures, these differences become even greater. In the second case (45°C) this difference is 5.02-21.12%. In the third (50°C) 10.95-33.31%. All in favor of the FFAPI.