Vikram Kumar
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
This manuscript investigates the design and performance optimization of a flat-plate solar thermal collector tailored for residential water-heating applications. The study reviews key design parameters—absorber plate material, selective coating, glazing options, insulation thickness, and flow channel geometry—using data available up to 2018. A computational model is developed to simulate heat transfer and pressure drop, validated against literature test rigs. Statistical analysis of thermal efficiency under varying irradiance and flow rates is presented. A transient simulation using TRNSYS examines daily and seasonal performance. Results indicate that a copper absorber with black chrome coating, double glazing, and polyurethane insulation yields peak efficiencies above 65% at 800 W/m² and 0.02 kg/s·m², matching experimental benchmarks. Five research objectives guide the work. Conclusions highlight trade-offs and recommendations for cost-effective residential deployment. Ten engineering references up to 2018 are cited.
Keywords
solar thermal collector, flat-plate design, thermal efficiency, residential water heating, heat transfer modeling
References
Duffie, J. A., & Beckman, W. A. (2013). Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes (4th ed.). Wiley.
Kalogirou, S. A. (2014). Solar Energy Engineering: Processes and Systems. Academic Press.
Tyagi, V. V., Kaushik, S. C., & Tyagi, S. K. (2012). Advancement in solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid collector technology. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 16(3), 1383–1398.
Sopian, K., Sulaiman, M. Y., & Othman, M. Y. (2015). Experimental study on the performance of a flat-plate solar collector with polyurethane insulation. International Journal of Green Energy, 12(8), 793–801.
Zhao, X., Wang, R. Z., & He, W. (2016). Experimental investigation on the performance of a novel flat plate solar collector with micro-grooved absorber. Applied Thermal Engineering, 104, 276–284.
Kalogirou, S. A. (2017). Flat-plate solar collectors: A review of selective coatings for solar thermal applications. Renewable Energy, 102, 41–54.
Mondal, A., & Raju, M. M. (2018). Performance evaluation of flat plate solar collector using different working fluids. Energy Conversion and Management, 159, 281–289.
Hussain, M. M., & Tripathi, M. (2018). Optimization of flow channel geometry in flat-plate solar collectors. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 117, 1075–1084.
Chow, T. T. (2010). A review on photovoltaic/thermal hybrid solar technology. Applied Energy, 87(2), 365–379.
Becker, K. H. (2018). Advances in residential solar collector design: A systematic review. Journal of Solar Energy Research, 5(2), 123–136.
