MINISTRY OF HIGHIER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES

ERBIL POLYTHECHNIC UNIVERSITY

TECHNICAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL AND ENERGY ENGINEERING DEP.
SOLAR ENERGY LABORATORY 3RD STAGE (2019-2020)

EXPERIMENT NO.1
EXPERIMENT NAME: CHANGE IN FLOW RATE

Wrya luqman hussein

SUPERVISED BY | MR. DARAWAN BAZYAN & MRS. ESRA AHMED
INTRODUCTION:
Solar power is the flow of energy from the sun, the primary forms of solar energy
are heat and light.
Sunlight and heat are transformed and absorbed by the environment in a
multitude of ways, some of these transformations result in renewable energy
flows such as biomass, wind and waves.
Effects such as the jet stream, the Gulf Stream and the water cycle are also the
result of solar energy's absorption in the environment.
The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of solar radiation at the upper
atmosphere.
While traveling through the atmosphere 6% of the incoming solar radiation
(insolation) is reflected and 16% is absorbed.
Average atmospheric conditions (clouds, dust, pollutants) further reduce
insolation by 20% through reflection and 3% through absorption.
The absorption of solar energy by atmospheric convection (sensible heat
transport) and by the evaporation and condensation of water vapor (latent heat
transport) drive the winds and the water cycle.
Atmospheric conditions not only reduce the quantity of insolation reaching the
Earth's surface but also affect the quality of insolation by diffusing approximately
20% of the incoming light and altering its spectrum.
After passing through the Earth's atmosphere approximately half the insolation is
in the visible electromagnetic spectrum with the other half mostly in the infrared
and ultraviolet spectrum.

1
Apparatus:

1. lighting unit
2. control cabinet
3. illuminance sensors
4. flat collectors with spacing and inclination adjustment
5. temperature sensors
6. hot water storage tank
7. electrical auxiliary heater

2
Working principle:
The light from lighting unit enters the flat plate collector.
This heats the absorber in the flat collector, in the flat collector, there is a pipe
that is part of the solar circuit, a pump circulates the heat transfer fluid (water) in
the solar circuit, the absorber in the flat plate collector transfers the heat to heat
transfer fluid, the heated heat transfer fluid leaves the flat collector and enters
the tank, in the tank the pipes are designed as a spiral and thus functions as heat
exchanger.
This leads to the water in the tank heating up, and the heat transfer fluid cooling
down, the pump then pumps the cooled heat transfer fluid back to the flat plate
collector, creating a closed solar circuit.
A ventilator and an overflow are integrated in the solar circuit, the overflow
ensures that the heat transfer fluid volume expansion can be compensated,
temperatures are measured by sensors (T1-T4) at all relevant points, a heater can
be used to shorten the heating tomes the water in the tank, this is useful for
example when measuring high temperatures.

Reading table:
No. F T1 T2 T3 T4 R
l/hr ᵒC ᵒC ᵒC ᵒC kW/m2
1 21 23.7 27.1 21.5 20.8 1.4
2 15 23.9 29.4 22.9 21 1.4
3 10 24.3 33 23.8 21.1 1.4
4 5 24.5 44.5 24.8 21.3 1.4
5 1 25.4 75 25.7 21.4 1.4

3
Calculation:
Specific heat of water (Cp)=4.18 kJ/kg.K
Density of water ( ρ )=995 kg/m3
Area of the collector Acol=0.1088 m2
QN
Ƞcol= ×100
Q¿

Qin=R x Acol
QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
Test No.1:
21 l/hr = 5.8333e-6 m3/s
Qin=R x Acol
1.4 x 0.1088=0.15232 kW

QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
5.8333e-6 x 995 x 4.18 x (27.1-23.7) =0.082 kW
QN
Ƞcol= ×100
Q¿
(0.0824/0.15) x 100=54.15%

Test No.2:
15 l/hr = 4.1667e-6 m3/s
Qin=R x Acol
1.4 x 0.1088=0.15232 kW

QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
4.1667e-6 x 995 x 4.18 x (29.4-23.9) = 0.095 kW
QN
Ƞcol= ×100
Q¿

4
(0.095/0.15) x 100=62.5%

Test No.3
10 l/hr = 2.7778e-6 m3/s
Qin=R x Acol
1.4 x 0.1088=0.15232 kW
QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
2.7778e-6 x 995 x 4.18 x (33-24.3) = 0.1005 kW
Q
Ƞcol= N ×100
Q¿
(0.1005/0.15) x 100=65.9%

Test No.4:
5 l/hr = 1.3889e-6 m3/s
Qin=R x Acol
1.4 x 0.1088=0.15232 kW
QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
1.3889e-6 x 995 x 4.18 x (44.5-24.5) = 0.1155 kW
Q
Ƞcol= N ×100
Q¿
(0.1155/0.15) x 100=77%

Test No.5
1 l/hr =2.7778e-7 m3/s
Qin=R x Acol
1.4 x 0.1088=0.15232 kW
QN=F x ρ x Cp x (T2-T1)
2.7778e-7 x 995 x 4.18 x (75-25.4) = 0.057kW
Q
Ƞcol= N ×100
Q¿
(0.057/0.15) x 100=37.62%

5
 60

49.6
50

40
∆T(T2-T1)

30

20
20

10 8.7
5.5
3.4

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
flow rate l/hr

discussion:

1- illustrating the graph above, as we noticed that there is a dramatical decrease

of temperature difference with decreasing the flow rate.

6
 0.14

0.12 0.12

0.1
0.1 0.1

0.08
0.08
QN kW

0.06 0.06

0.04

0.02

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
flow rate l/hr

2- illustrating the graph above, it was clear that there is fluctuation between flow rate
and the thermal power.
90

80 77

70 65.9
62.5
60
54.15
efficiency %

50

40 37.62

30

20

10

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
flow rate l/hr

3- illustrating the graph above we can see that there is also fluctuation between
the flow rate and the efficiency of the collector.

7
 27

26 25.7

25 24.8

24 23.8

22.9
T3 ᵒC

23

22
21.5

21

20

19
0 5 10 15 20 25
flow rate l/hr

4-illisturating the graph above, it is noticeable that there is sudden drop from peak point
to lowest point between the flow rate and the tank temperature T 3.

5- To conclude that, firstly, the relation between the flow rate with temperature
difference is inversely proportional, which means that by increasing the flow rate
the temperature difference decreases, secondly, the relation between the flow
rate and thermal power is directly proportional, which means that with increasing
the flow rate thermal power also increases, thirdly, the relation between the flow
rate and efficiency also directly proportional, finally, the relation between the
flow rate and the temperature of the tank is inversely proportional, by means
with increasing the flow rate the tank temperature decreases.