Analysis of the Manifold Area Change in a Flat Solar Collector

Abstract

A numerical analysis of the characterization of the water flow through a flat solar collector is presented. The manifold area change for minimizing the water flow variation in the solar collector is analyzed. The area ratio in the inlet and outlet of the manifolds were modified in a range of Am/Ao = 1 to 4, where Am and Ao are the cross-sectional area modified and original of the manifolds, respectively. The solar collector investigated is equipped with six riser tubes, which are attached to the manifolds pipe. The numerical study was developed in a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using FLUENT®. This code allows to solve the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the transport equations of the turbulence quantities. The results shown that increasing the inlet and outlet area of the manifolds allow a more uniform flow distribution compared to the original configuration of the solar collector. It also shows that the overall pressure drop in the solar collector is reduced.

Numerical Study on the Effect of Distribution Plates in the Manifolds on the Flow Distribution and Thermal Performance of a Flat Plate Solar Collector

“…A variable area analysis for a flat plate solar collector was performed by Uzarraga-Rodriguez et al [44]. The results showed that an increase on the ratio of the inlet and outlet area of the solar collector contributes on obtaining a uniform distribution through the riser tubes, slightly decreasing the pressure drop.…”