Off-peak summer performance enhancement for rows of fixed solar thermal collectors using reflective surfaces

The possibility of increasing the efficiency of fixed solar thermal collectors without greatly adding to the cost or complexity of the overall solar collection system was studied. The focus was on the use of flat mirrors, which would accomplish this goal by capturing the morning sunlight during the summer non-peak solar collection time while maintaining the balance of the system within its existing design specifications, allowing the system to perform at a higher capacity factor. A 150kWt solar heating and cooling system operates within the Mechanical Engineering Building at the University of New Mexico and was the basis for a simulation model and validation testing. The use of flat mirrors to increase solar energy collection is a cheaper alternative to the purchase of additional solar collectors and results show that the reflectors, properly installed on a solar thermal collection system, can reduce the cost of cooling by 20% without further modification to the existing system.

Name thesis:degree_name

Mechanical Engineering

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Year

2011

Author dc:creator

• Armenta, Casiano

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mammoli, Andrea
• Vorobieff, Peter
• Razani, Arsalan

• Solar collectors--Efficiency
• Solar heating--Passive systems--Efficiency.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/me_etds/46

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:me_etds-1045