Domestic Water Heating With Flat Collector

The trainer can be used to demonstrate the principal aspects of solar thermal domestic water heating in a system with components used in real world applications. The heat then gets into the hot water circuit via a heat exchanger. Radiant energy is converted into heat in a commercially available flat collector and transferred to a heat transfer fluid in the solar circuit. 

Learning Objectives/Experiments:
Determining the collector efficiency
Relationship between temperature difference and collector efficiency
Determining the net power
Familiarization with the functions of the flat collector and the solar circuit
Relationship between flow and net power.

Trainer for investigating the function and operating behaviour of a flat collector
Solar circulation station with pump, expansion vessel and safety valve
Hot water circuit with buffer tank, pump and plate heat exchanger
Four bimetallic thermometers
Solar thermal flat collector with selectively absorbing coating
Adjustable collector tilt angle
Solar controller with temperature, flow and illuminance sensors.