RENEWABLE ENERGY(EE3523)

A
PRESENTATION ON THE TOPIC
SOLAR COLLECTORS AND ITS CLASSIFICATION.

BY:
LETVANGLEN CHONGLOI.
REGD NO: 2018100301.
5TH SEMESTER.
ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT
SOLAR COLLECTOR.
• A solar collector is a device that collects solar
radiation from the sun. This device are used for active
solar heating which converts the solar energy into an
energy that can be used for domestic water heating.
•  The inside of the solar collector is usually evacuated,
the energy contained within the solar collect is
basically trapped and thus heats the coolant
contained within the tubes. The tubes are usually
made from copper, and the back plate is painted black
to help absorb solar radiation.
Components of a solar plate.
• Black surface  - absorbent of the incident solar energy
• Glazing cover - a transparent layer that transmits
radiation to the absorber, but prevents radiative and
convective heat loss from the surface
• Tubes containing heating fluid to transfer the heat from
the collector
• Support structure to protect the components and hold
them in place
• Insulation covering sides and bottom of the collector to
reduce heat losses
 Classification of solar collector.
Solar collectors.

Non-concentrating type. Concentrating type

(flat-plate collector)
a). Liquid flat plate collector.
b). Flat plat air heating collector. Non focus type.
a). Modified flat plate
collector.
Focus type b). Compound parabolic
concentrating (CPC)type

Focus point (two-axis point)

Line focus (one-axis tracking) a). Paraboloidal disc collector.
a). Cylindrical parabolic concentrator. b). Hemispherical bowl mirror conc.
b). Fixed mirror solar concentrator. c). Circular Fresnel lens conc.
c). Linear Fresnel lens collector. d). Central tower receiver.
• Non-concentrating SC.

This is the type of collector in which the area of collecting the solar
energy is the same as the area of the absorbing radiation. They are
also known as flat plate collector.
They consist of fluid tube filled with flowing HTF(heat transfer fluid)
connected to a darkened(high absorpitivity) flat plate absorber that
collects the sunlight and transfer the heat energy to the tubes.

It is sub divided into two category-

1. Liquid flat plate collector.
2. Flat plat air heating collector.
Concentrating SC
• A concentrating collector comprises a
receiver, where the radiation is absorbed and
converted to some other energy form, and a
concentrator, which is the optical system that
directs beam radiation onto the receiver.
In concentrating collectors, solar energy is
optically concentrated before being
transferred into heat.
• Concentrating SC is further classified into focus and non-focus
type.
Focus type: Focusing collector is a device to collect solar
radiation with high intensity of solar radiation on the
energy-absorbing surface. A focusing collector is a special
form of flat plate collector by introducing a reflecting
surface (collector) between the solar radiation and the
absorber.
It is further divided into two types, i.e line focus and point focus.
Line focus:
These collectors, sometimes known as parabolic troughs, use
highly reflective materials to collect and concentrate the heat
energy from solar radiation. These collectors are composed of
parabolically shaped reflective sections connected into a long
trough.
• Point focus: A principal focus or focal point is a
special focus: For a lens, or a spherical or parabolic mirror,
it is a point onto which collimated light parallel to the axis
is focused. Since light can pass through a lens in either
direction, a lens has two focal points – one on each side.
Non-focus type:
The simplest concentrating collector is the mirror-
boosted flat plate collector. It consists of a flat plate facing
the mirror . If the mirrors are set at proper angle; they
reflect solar radiation on the absorber plate.
It is divided into two category i.e. modified flat plate
collector and compound parabolic concentrating type.
• Modified flat plate collector:
 A modified flat plate collector has the ability to
provide both hot water and hot air to increase
annual thermal conversion ratio of solar energy. 
• Compound parabolic concentrating collector:
A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is
defined as a non-imaging-type
concentrating collector where incident solar
radiations, after reflection from the reflector, are not
concentrated at a point or line, but simply together
on the absorber apparent which does not produce
an image of the light source.
Thank you.