| This thesis presents the results of an experimental work on a Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) system aiming at optimizing the thermal energy transfer between the solar collector and the storage tank.; Four different designs of heat exchangers were tested and elaborated based on their thermal performance. In addition to the temperature measurements at pre selected locations, the parameters considered include, the overall heat transfer coefficient (UA), the thermal stratification within the storage tank, mass flow rate of the glycol. An extensive analysis of the heat accumulation as well as the heat losses is also presented. The solar domestic hot water system was installed and modified to work with four heat exchangers independently, by using valves to control the hot and cold glycol paths. To simulate the daily actual hot water consumption, 100 L of hot water were drawn from the top of the tank at 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM.; The first and second experiments concern the testing of two different heat exchangers, an immersion heat exchanger (Immhx1) and an external shell-and-coil heat exchanger (S&Chx). The third experimental test concerns a tailored immersion shell-and-coil heat exchanger (ImmS&Chx). The fourth experiment deals with testing another immersion heat exchanger (Immhx2) on a clear sky day. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
