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Ijaret: International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (Ijaret)
Ijaret: International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (Ijaret)
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
1
EXERGY ANALYSIS OF A SINGLE-ENDED GLASS DIRECT FLOW
EVACUATED TUBE SOLAR COLLECTOR
Hamza Al-Tahaineh
1
, Rebhi Damseh
2
1,2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, A-Huson University College,
Al Balqa Applied University, Irbid, Jordan.
ABSTRACT
Exergy analysis for a single ended glass evacuated tube solar collector system was carried out
in this investigation. The second law of thermodynamics was used to obtain the net exergy, exergy
destructed, and exergetic efficiency of the Evacuated Tube Solar Collector (ETSC) system.
According to the mean solar insolation in Jordan and assumptions of calculation in specific region
around the year, the results obtained show an exegetic efficiency of 65.88 % which seems to have a
steady value despite the increase in the temperature difference of water in and out of the collector.
Keywords: Second Law of Thermodynamics, Exergy, Evacuated Tubes, Solar Systems.
INTRODUCTION
Evacuated tube solar collectors have been commercially available for over 20 years;
however, until recently they have not provided any real competition to flat plate collectors. In order
to investigate the flow structure and heat transfer within the tube, extensive experimental
Investigations have been done on cylindrical open thermosyphon with various tube aspect ratios,
heating schemes and Rayleigh numbers. Extensive numerical modeling has been done for a number
of Years. A numerical model of the inclined open thermosyphon has been developed using a finite
difference algorithm to solve the vorticity vector potential form of the Navier-Stokes equations the
geometry considered was an open cylinder, inclined at 45 to the vertical. Steady flow is simulated at
various combinations of Rayleigh number, aspect ratio and mode of heating. Two heating schemes
were used, uniform wall heating and differential wall heating [1-3].
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH IN
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJARET)
ISSN 0976 - 6480 (Print)
ISSN 0976 - 6499 (Online)
Volume 4, Issue 7, November-December 2013, pp. 01-09
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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
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S.K. Tyagi et al 2007 evaluated the exergetic performance of concentrating type solar
collector and the parametric study was made using hourly solar radiation. The exergy output is
optimized with respect to the inlet fluid temperature and the corresponding efficiencies were
computed. The performance parameters were found to be the increasing functions of the
concentration ratio but the optimal inlet temperature and exergetic efficiency at high solar intensity
are found to be the decreasing functions of the concentration ration [4].
I. Jafari et al 2011 investigated energy and exergy of air-water combined solar collector
which is called dual purpose solar collector (DPSC). Analysis is performed for triangle channels.
Parameters like the air flow rate and water inlet temperature are studied. Results are shown that
DPSC has better energy and exergy efficiency than single collector. In addition, the triangle passage
with water inlet temperature of 60
o
C has shown better exergy and energy efficiency [5].
Michel Pons 2012 investigates the main types of exergy losses that can be identified in solar
collector systems in order to minimize the source of exergy losses and maximize the solar energy
benefits [6].
The objective of the present investigation is to analyze the evacuated tube solar system from
the second law of thermodynamics point of view in order to improve the system performance by
investigating the operating conditions where the exergy destruction become minimum and the
exergetic efficiency maximum.
EXERGY ANALYSIS OF EVACUATED TUBE SOLAR COLLECTOR
Exergy is the maximum amount of work that can be obtained from a stream of matter, heat or
work as it comes into equilibrium with a reference environment. The term "exergy" or absolute
energy efficiency is also used to define the combination of energy quantity (which is conserved
according to the first law of thermodynamics) and energy quality (which is consumed according to
the second law of thermodynamics).Thus, (Exergy = Energy Quantity Energy Quality).
The general rate form of exergy balance equation is given by:
43 42 1 43 42 1
43 42 1
exergy of
change of Rate
system
n destructio
exergy of Rate
destroyed
collector the through
transfer Exergy net of Rate
out in X X X X
=
(1)
The exergy carried by the evacuated tube is given by the following relation:
(2)
Where:
: The rate of exergy transfer to the collector by heat (W)
: Collector efficiency.
The exergy destroyed is another expression for the system irreversibility (I) which is the
difference between the heat input and the useful heat obtained by the solar collector ; i.e.: I = X
destroyed
. System irreversibility which could be also expressed as the system heat losses and it is
divided to the tank heat loss and tube heat loss.
in X
col
= Q X
col
in
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue
For a real process the exergy input always exceeds the exergy output, this unbala
irreversibilities (called exergy destruction X
and the non-utilized exergy of waste output. This latter pan we entitle the exergy waste
very important to distinguish between exergy destruction caused by irreversibilities and exergy waste
due to unused exergy flow to the environment both represent exergy losses, but irrever
by definition-no exergy and no environment effects
The exergy destruction (system irreversibility
gen destroyed S T X I
= =
o
Where T
o
is the environment temperature and S
following equation:
( ) K W
T
T
T
Q
S
sys
sur
sur
gen
|
|
\
|
=
1
Where:
=
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
3
For a real process the exergy input always exceeds the exergy output, this unbala
irreversibilities (called exergy destruction X
desroyed
). The exergy output consists of the utilized output
utilized exergy of waste output. This latter pan we entitle the exergy waste
distinguish between exergy destruction caused by irreversibilities and exergy waste
due to unused exergy flow to the environment both represent exergy losses, but irrever
no exergy and no environment effects[7].
system irreversibility, ) is related to the entropy generation by
is the environment temperature and S
gen
is the entropy generation and governed by the
: Useful energy gain from the collector (W).
(equal ambient temperature, T
a
= 20
o
C).
(3) into equation (1) yields in:
43 42 1
exergy of
change of Rate
system X
=
Where the first component of the left hand side of equation (5) is the
was modeled experimentally by Budihardjo as a function of ambient
), average film temperature of inlet and outlet water temperatures of the tube
and global solar irradiance at the collector plane (G) as a second order equation [3]:
TUBE EXERGETIC EFFICIENCY
Exergy efficiency of the solar collector can be defined as the ratio of increased mass exergy
to the exergy of the solar radiation, in other word; it is a ratio of the useful exergy delivered to the
absorbed by the solar collector [7,8].
( )
G
T T
a f
2
0067 . 0
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
(2013), IAEME
For a real process the exergy input always exceeds the exergy output, this unbalance is due to
). The exergy output consists of the utilized output
utilized exergy of waste output. This latter pan we entitle the exergy waste X
desteryed
. It is
distinguish between exergy destruction caused by irreversibilities and exergy waste
due to unused exergy flow to the environment both represent exergy losses, but irreversibilities have,
is related to the entropy generation by:
(3)
and governed by the
(4)
(5)
efficiency of the
as a function of ambient
water temperatures of the tube ,
(6)
Exergy efficiency of the solar collector can be defined as the ratio of increased mass exergy
to the exergy of the solar radiation, in other word; it is a ratio of the useful exergy delivered to the
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
4
The final expression for exergy balance in the solar collector will be:
( )
(
|
|
\
|
|
|
\
|
=
in
out
sur in out p
sys
sur
T
T
T T T c m
T
T
Q I ln 1 &
(7)
The exegetic efficiency (
|
|
\
|
= =
Q
T
T
S T
X
X
sys
sur
gen sur
in
destroyed
1
1 1
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
5
Table 1 Evacuated Tube Basic Specifications
Length 1500 mm
Outer tube diameter 47 mm
Inner tube diameter 37 mm
Glass thickness 1.6 mm
Thermal expansion 3.3x10
-6
o
C
Material Borosilicate Glass 3.3
Absorptive Coating Graded Al-N/Al
Absorptance 93%
Emittance 7% (100
o
C)
Vacuum P<0.005 Pa
Stagnation Temperature >200
o
C
Heat Loss Coeff. <0.8W/ ( m
2 o
C )
Tube Life >15 years
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
To analyze the thermal data, a simplified model was proposed, based on the following
assumption: Ambient air temperature 20 C, hot water supply to the household 70C. The hot water
is defined that water having a temperature equal to 40
o
C or exceeds. The convention is to rise the
cold water temperature in the water heating systems 50
o
C, i.e. if the cold water temperature 5
o
C (like
in winter) it will rise to 55
o
C, while the cold water temperature will not exceed 20
o
C the decision to
rise its temperature 50
o
C to become 70
o
C was determined to avoid the formation of Calcium
sedimentations [1].
Figure 2: Sunshine and solar radiation in Amman [8]
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
6
Figure (2) show the amount of incident radiation at the location of investigation, 32
o
north
latitude, around the year. The peak insolation was found to be at June with a maximum value of solar
insolation 28.32 (MJ/m.day) while the minimum was found to be 9.87 (MJ/m.day) at December.
The average values and trend of solar insolation were found to be constant for different years.
Figure 3: Variation of Exergy Input and Exergy Destructed with Temperature difference
The net useful exergy is the difference between transfer exergy (as input exergy, X
in
) and the
exergy destructed due to irreversibility and entropy generation (S
gen
). Figure (3) show that the net
useful exergy decreases with increase in water temperature difference (T
out
-T
in
) and this is due to
increase in entropy generation with temperature since the amount of heat transfer to the surrounding
(
) will increase.
Figure 4: Variation of thermal and exergetic efficiencies with collector temperature difference
10 30 50 0 20 40 60
Temperature Difference (Tout-Tin)
100
300
500
700
900
0
200
400
600
800
1000
E
x
e
r
g
y
(
W
)
X_in
X_destoyed
International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET), ISSN 0976
6480(Print), ISSN 0976 6499(Online) Volume 4, Issue 7, November December (2013), IAEME
7
Figure (4) show that while the thermal efficiency of the collector under specified condition
decrease with temperature difference, the exergetic efficiency start to increase until it reach a steady
value (o.66) at a temperature difference