Solar Thermal and Application
Eng.Miral alsherideh
Introduction
The Sun is most prominent source of energy in our system.
The source of solar energy is process of thermonuclear
fusion in the sun’s core. This energy is radiated from sun in
all directions and a fraction of this energy is reaches to the
earth.
The solar thermal power system collects the thermal energy in
solar radiation and uses it at high or low temperatures.
Low-temperature applications include water and room heating for
commercial and residential buildings.
High-temperature applications concentrate the sun’s heat energy
to produce steam for driving electrical generators.
Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology has the ability to store
thermal energy from sunlight and deliver electric power during peak-
demand periods.
For solar energy systems, if the thermal energy is absorbed and
utilized without significant mechanical pumping and blowing, the solar
system is said to be passive.
If the solar heat is collected in a fluid, usually water or air, which is then
moved by pumps or fans for use, the solar system is said to be active.
Solar Collectors
There are basically three types of thermal solar collectors: flat
plate, evacuated tube, and concentrating.
Their purpose remains the same: to convert the solar radiation into
heat to satisfy some energy needs.
The heat produced by solar collectors can supply energy demand
directly or be stored.
Solar thermal energy application
Solar thermal energy is used for:
water heating
space heating
electric power generation
solar cooker for cooking of food
Pool heating
Flat Plate Solar Collectors
Solar collector absorbs the incident solar radiation and
converts it to the useful heat which is use for heating a
collector fluid such as water, oil or air.
Flat plate collector are used where temperature below 100°C
are required.
useful for ambient heating, domestic hot water systems, and
swimming pools.
Construction
Transparent Cover
This allows solar energy to pass through, but reduces the
heat loss.
Examples:
tempered glass(toughened glass) is a type of safety
glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical
treatments to increase its strength compered with
normal glass
transparent plastic materials
Absorber plate
Plate is blackened in order to absorb the maximum amount of
solar radiations.
The absorber consists of a thin sheet. This sheet is made of
conductor material (aluminum, steel, copper etc.) because
the metal is a good conductor of heat.
Black coating is applied to this conductor / metal plate in
order to absorb the maximum amount of solar radiations.
Copper is best material for absorber plate because it has high
thermal conductivity, adequate tensile strength and good
corrosion resistance
Series of tubes
The absorber plate with several parallel tubes is
fabricated from copper tube and sheet by soft soldering.
Heat transport fluid (Water)
To remove heat from the absorber, fluid is usually
circulated through tubes to transfer heat from the
absorber to an insulated water tank.
Thermal insulation
It is used to provide insulation on the sides and bottom so
as to prevent losses and thereby attain high
temperatures.
Examples of thermal insulations are crown white wool,
glass wool, calcium silicate.
Working
When solar radiation passes through the transparent
cover and incident on blackened absorber surface of
high absorptivity, a large portion of this energy is
absorbed by the plate and then transferred to the fluid
(Air, Water etc)
Thermal insulation is used to reduce conduction losses
and transparent cover is used to reduce convection
losses.
Note
when air is used as heat transport fluid, it is flat plate air collector
which is used for space heating (solar space heater) and when
liquid is used as heat transport fluid, it is flat plate liquid collector
which is used for water heating (solar water heater)
Solar flat plate collector type water
heating system
Cold water is pumped to the flat plate collector,
collector absorbs the heat by solar radiation and
heated water is stored in the tank.
Solar flat plate collector type space
heating system
Water is heated by incident solar radiation on flat plate
collector. This heated water is collected in a tank.
The energy is transferred to the air circulating in the
house by water to air heat exchanger.
Evacuated tube collectors
Evacuated Tube Collectors
Glass tubes to surround the absorber with high vacuum .
The vacuum that surrounds the absorber reduces
convection and conduction heat loss .
A series of evacuated tubes to heat water.
Tubes utilize vacuum or evacuated space between 2
tubes: inner and outer
Direct-flow evacuated-tube collectors
Has two pipes that run down and back, inside the tube.
One pipe is for inlet fluid, and the other is for outlet fluid.
They are also known as «U» pipe collectors.
The hollow heat pipes and the flat or curved absorber
plate are made out of copper to increase the
efficiency.
These collectors are similar in operation to the flat plate
collectors, with the exception of the vacuum provided
by the outer tube.
Direct Flow Evacuated Tubes
Heat pipe evacuated-tube collectors
They contain a copper heat pipe, which is attached to an
absorber plate, inside a vacuum-sealed solar tube.
The heat pipe is hollow and the space inside is also
evacuated.
A small amount of liquid, such as alcohol is kept inside the
heat pipe.
The vacuum enables the liquid to boil at lower
temperatures than it normal atmospheric pressure.
When sunlight falls the surface of the absorber, the liquid in
the heat tube quickly turns to hot vapor.
As this gas vapor is now lighter, it rises up to the top portion
of the pipe heating it up to a very high temperature.
The top part of the heat pipe is connected to a copper
heat exchanger called «manifold».
Water or glycol flows through the manifold and picks up
the heat.
As the hot vapor in the heat pipe looses energy and cools,
it condenses and flows back down the tube to be re-
heated.
This process continues as long as the sun shines.
Heat pipe evacuated-tube collectors
Concentrating collectors / focusing
collectors (Cylindrical trough Solar collector)
Focusing collector has less heat loss so they operate at
higher temperature. Flat plate collectors operate on
temperature about 100°C in summer and 40°C in winter.
So, in order to increase the temperature range of
collectors, focusing of collectors are used.
In focusing collectors, a parabolic mirror is used. The sun rays are
focused on the focal point of the mirror by reflection from its
surface.
A tube is placed along the focal line of the mirror and fluid is
circulated through the tube this fluid absorb the heat from
reflected solar radiation.
With these collectors, temperature of 200°C - 300°C or above
may be obtained. In some mechanism, seasonal tracking of sun
is also provided to get the maximum heat from sun light.
History
بعد زمن طويل قضى فى التجارب العديدة توافقت شركة سان باور اإلنجليزية أن تقيم
بجهة المعادى وتحديدا شارع 101محطة لرفع المياه من غير احتياج إلى أى مادة
إحتراقية
فالبخار الالزم هو ناتج من تجمع أشعة الشمس على قزانات مالئة ماء"
كان ذلك هو الوصف العلمى الذى نشره األهرام فى 12يوليو 1913ألول محطة طاقة
شمسية فى العالم ،والتى أنشئت فى مصر وتعتمد على توليد طاقة البخار عبر تجميع
أشعة الشمس لرفع المياه وزراعة األرض ، .مما يعنى أن مصر هى أول دولة فى العالم
دخلت مجال الطاقة الشمسية والمتجددة،
.....
البداية عندما قام مهندس أمريكى متخصص فى مجال الطاقة ُيدعى فرانك شومان،
بتشييد محطة للطاقة الشمسية فى القاهرة فى خريف 1913حيث كانت أول وحدة
رفع طاقة شمسية بحجم صناعى فى العالم بالمعادي،
واحتوت على خمس جامعات طاقة شمسية ،كل منها بطول 62مترًا وعرض 4أمتار
وتفصل بينهم مسافة 7أمتار
...
ً
كان تصميمها ُمعدال من محركات وخامات تم إنتاجها فى الموقع ،واستمر تشغيلها لفترة
أقل من عام.إلى آن اندلعت الحرب العالمية األولى
...
سافر شومان إلى ألمانيا لعرض مشروع محرك الطاقة الشمسية األول
فى البرلمان األلماني ،وتحدث عنها العالم أجمع فى ذلك الوقت،
وفى عام 1914عاد شومان إلى فيالدلفيا فى إجازة لبضعة شهور احتفاال ً
بنجاحاته فى مصر وألمانيا ،ليعرض
على المجتمع األمريكى مشاهد لمحطة الطاقة الشمسية المصرية عن
طريق فيلم أنتجه خصيصا لتوثيق هذا المشروع المهم.
وكان لفرانك شومان كلمة شهيرة فى وقت تشييد المحطة هى" :إننى
على يقين من شيء واحد ..أن البشرية البد أن تتحول الستخدام الطاقة
الشمسية أو ترتد إلى البربرية".
...
محطة توليد الطاقة بالمعادى اختفت فى دروب التاريخ ،واآلن تغطى
المبانى والرمال واألشجار موقع المحطة ،وأصبحت فى طى النسيان.
Materials for concentrators
Reflector-
Reflector should have high reflectivity. Therefore mirror
glass may be used. Glass is the most durable with low iron
content so it is a good reflector. Aluminium and silver are
also good reflecting surface. Plastics are also used as
reflector now days.
Thermal energy storage
Thermal energy storage is essential for both domestic
water and space heating applications. Thermal energy
can be stored in well insulated fluids or solids.
There are two ways for thermal energy storage namely
1- Sensible heat storage
2- Latent heat storage
Sensible Heat storage
In sensible heat storage the temperature of the medium changes
during charging and discharging of the storage
In this, there is no change in phase. The basic equation for energy
storage is given by
Q = mcpΔT -------------------------------- (2.2)
Where
Q- Total thermal capacity
m- Mass of storage medium
Cp- Specific heat
Heat stored per unit volume (Q/Vs) is given by
Where Vs is the volume of the given storage container
Water and oil is generally used for storing thermal energy
Solid materials like rocks, metals, concrete, sand and bricks etc. are
also used for thermal storage.
Latent heat storage
In latent heat storage, the temperature of the medium
remains more or less constant, since it undergoes a phase
transformation ie. The transition from solid to liquid or liquid
to vapor
In a latent heat storage system, the heat is stored in a
material when it melts and heat is extracted from material
when it freezes.
example of such materials are paraffin wax, calcium
chloride hexahydrate, magnesium nitrate hexahydrate,
ice.
Limitations of Solar thermal energy
Large area is required to collect solar thermal energy
Direction of rays changes continuously with time
Energy not available during night and during clouds
Energy storage is essential
