Eventos Anais de eventos
ENCIT 2016
16th Brazilian Congress of Thermal Sciences and Engineering
OPTIMIZATION OF THERMAL EFFICIENCY OF FLAT PLATE SOLAR COLLECTORS USING MATLAB
Submission Author:
Santiago del Rio Oliveira , SP
Co-Authors:
Vinícius Geromél Meneghetti
Presenter: Santiago del Rio Oliveira
doi://10.26678/ABCM.ENCIT2016.CIT2016-0126
Abstract
Solar energy is becoming an alternative in front of the scarcity of fossil fuel reserves. Furthermore, the solar energy is a cleaner way to harness energy, when compared with fossil fuel, since it does not emit CO2 to the environment. Thus, when using this energy, we contribute to a sustainable development of the planet. One of the simplest and most direct applications of this energy is the conversion of solar radiation into heat, which can be used in systems that aim to heat water or any kind of fluid; so as in air-drying systems. A solar heating system widely used is the flat plate solar collector. It consists of an absorber plate, to absorb the solar radiation; tubes fixed on the plate, through where the water flows; an insulation on the back and on the edges; and at least one glass cover, to reduce the top losses. Many studies have been executed in order to analyze the operation of a flat plate solar collector and increase their thermal efficiency. The aim of this research project was to use a MATLAB’s function, fmincon, to perform a multivariable optimization of a flat plate solar collector thermal efficiency function. So, it was possible to simultaneously find the optimal values of six dimensions (thickness of insulation at the base, the lateral insulation thickness, distance between tubes, the tube inner diameter, the tube outer diameter and thickness of the absorber plate), witch maximized the efficiency of the collector. After that, the individual influences, of some of these parameters on the thermal efficiency, were evaluated. The study results can be used to design more efficient flat plate solar collectors, which means to capture the required energy using a smaller area and having a lower production cost.
Keywords
Flat Plate Solar Collector, Solar Energy, MATLAB, Optimization, Thermal Efficiency
