A holistic methodology for designing novel flat plate evacuated solar thermal collectors: Modelling and experimental assessment

Giovanni Barone, Annamaria Buonomano, Soteris Kalogirou, Panayiotis Ktistis and Adolfo Palombo

Renewable Energy, 2024, vol. 232, issue C

Abstract: This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the design, implementation, experimentation, and optimization of a novel evacuated flat-plate solar thermal collector characterized by a vacuum level between the glass cover and the absorber plate. The paper addresses different research themes, primarily focusing on developing a low-cost evacuated solar thermal collector with a high innovation level. Additionally, it introduces a comprehensive approach for the conceptualization, design, fabrication, testing, and optimization of solar thermal collectors. Specifically, this study aims to highlight the characteristics of a vacuum-enhanced solar thermal collector and demonstrate a step-by-step process involved in its design, fabrication, testing, and optimization. The proposed methodology is based on the adoption of two software tools and an extensive experimental analysis: the commercial software ANSYS is utilized for structural analysis, while MatLab is employed to develop a suitable mathematical tool for assessing the energy performance of the system and optimizing it. The outcomes show the reliability of the methodology and the performance of the low-cost evacuated solar thermal collector under different vacuum levels, providing insights into energy, economic, and environmental aspects. This work innovates by presenting a thorough analysis covering all solar thermal collector production phases, from conceptualization to optimization. The conclusions highlight the production of a reliable approach, and proof-of-concept results demonstrate how increasing the vacuum level enhances the thermal efficiency of a solar collector.

Keywords: Vacuum solar thermal collector; Solar energy; Modelling; Energy performance analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148124010358
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:232:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124010358

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120967

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides

More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().