Development of a mathematical model for a flat plate solar collector operating in transient regime

Abstract

Solar energy is becoming an alternative in front of the scarcity of fossil fuel reserves. One of the simplest and most direct applications of this energy is the conversion of solar radiation into heat, which can be used in water heating systems. A solar heating system widely used is the solar flat plate collector. A lot of research has been done in order to analyze the operation of a solar flat plate collector and increase their efficiency. The objective of this research project is to develop a one-dimensional mathematical model to simulate transient processes occurring in flat plate collectors operating with liquid. The model considers thermophysical properties and heat transfer coefficients time dependent, and is based on the solution of differential equations involving the conservation of energy to the glass cover, the air gap between the cover and the absorber, absorber, working fluid and insulation. The differential equations are solved using an implicit finite difference method in an iterative scheme using MATLAB. The proposed solution solves numerically the model developed considering transient conditions in the solar collector, calculating the transient temperature distribution for any cross section of the collector at a given time.