Solar Collectors

By:
Dr. Amandeep Singh Oberoi
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department

Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala,

Punjab, India.
 Definition
Solar thermal energy collector is an equipment in
which solar energy is collected by absorbing the
radiation in an absorber and then transferring to a
fluid.

The energy of the solar radiation in this case is

converted to heat.

The solar energy thus collected is carried from the

circulated fluid either directly to the hot water or
space condition equipment, or to a thermal energy
storage tank from which heat can be drawn for use
at night and/or cloudy days.
 Type of
Solar Collectors
Flat plate solar collectors
Solar Air Heater

Concentrating solar collectors

◦ Parabolic trough
◦ Parabolic dish
◦ Power tower
◦ Stationary solar collectors

Trombe Wall

Batch Solar Collectors

◦ Water heating
◦ Glazed water collectors

Solar cookers
Liquid Solar Collectors
◦ Vacuum tubing
 Flat Plate
Solar Collector
 Flat Plate Collector

The absorbing surface is approximately as

large as the overall collector area that
intercepts the sun rays.

It has no optical concentrator.

The efficiency of flat plate collector is low

and temperature of working fluid can be
raised only up to 100°C.
Schematic Cross Section of a Flat Plate
Collector
 Parts of a Flat Plate Collector
The flat plate collector consists of five major parts
as given below:
1. A metallic flat absorber plate: It is made of
copper, steel or aluminum (having high thermal
conductivity) and having black surface. The
thickness of the metal sheet ranges from 0.5 to
1.0 mm.

2. Tubes or channels: they are soldered to the

absorber plate. Water flowing through these
tubes takes away the heat from the absorber
plate. The diameter of tubes is around 1.25 cm,
while that of the header pipe which leads water
in and out of the collector and distributes it to
absorber tubes is 2.5 cm.
3. A transparent toughened glass sheet: of 5
mm thickness is provided as the cover plate.
It reduces convection heat losses through a
stagnant air layer between the absorber
plate and the glass. Radiation loss are also
reduced as the spectral transmissivity of
glass is such that it transparent to short
wave radiation and nearly opaque to long
wave thermal radiation emitted by interior
collector walls and absorbing plate.

4. Fibre glass insulation: of 2.5 to 8.0 cm

thickness is provided at the bottom and on
the sides in order to minimize the heat loss.
5. A container encloses the whole assembly in a
box made of metallic sheet or fibre glass.

The commercially available collector have a

face area of 2 m2. The whole assembly is fixed
on a supporting structure that is installed on a
tilted position at a suitable angle facing south
in northern hemisphere. For the whole year,
the optimum tilt angle of collector is equal to
the latitude of its location. During winter the
tilt angle is kept 10-150 more than the latitude
of the location, while in summer it should be
10-150 less than the latitude.
Solar Air Heater
Solar collectors for air heat may be
classified by their air distribution paths or
by their materials.

Through-pass collector
Front-pass collector
Back pass collector
Combination front and back pass collectors
Unglazed collector
Glazed collector
THANK YOU