Date of Defense

8-1977

Abstract

A solar collector which uses air as the medium of heat transfer is simulated on a digital collector. The computer program is used to predict the short-term (daily) performance of the collector and to show the effect of several variables on output. The effect of the thickness and quality of the glass cover, of the surface azimuth angle and of the length of each collector panel is found to be negligible. However, the effect of such variables as the mass flow rate of air, inlet air temperature, width of flow channels, selective coatings, absorptivity of collector plates, velocity of the wind, number of glass covers and tilt angle of the collector from the horizontal is significant. The efficiency is higher on sunny days than it is on cloudy days.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Campus Only

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