Solar gain augmentation using planar reflectors on the west and east sides of a flat plate collector

Abstract

With widespread calls for improved development of clean energy sources, solar thermal collectors are continuously receiving renewed attention being one of the easiest means of converting solar radiation to heat. Planar reflectors are often employed in flat plate collectors in order to boost solar radiation captured. Significant improvement in efficiency can be achieved if reflectors are positioned optimally. A model that predicts the additional solar gain using reflectors on the eastern and western side of a collector was developed using engineering equation solver (EES) and transient system simulation (TRNSYS) software.  Simulations were carried out for various reflector angles using Zaria weather data and the monthly reflector tilts for optimum solar gain were obtained through parametric studies. The results show that solar radiation received by collector can be enhanced with the reflectors throughout the year except for the month of July for both reflectors and August for the eastern reflector. Also, the magnitude of contribution from reflector on the western side of the collector is higher.