Performance characteristics of solar ponds operating at different latitudes

The results of a comparative study of the performance of solar ponds operating at different latitudes are presented in this paper. A mathematical tool was developed to study the behaviour of solar ponds operating under different physical and operational conditions. The hourly meteorological data of Kew and Singapore were used. The pond operating at higher latitudes, i.e. Kew, where seasonal variations are significant, must be deeper than a pond operating near the equator. The deeper pond can also act as an interseasonal storage device. A pond operating at a location in Singapore attains a fairly high temperature but the temperature requirements are also high for the desired applications such as space cooling in conjunction with a refrigeration cycle. Although a pond at Kew attains a lower temperature compared with a pond at Singapore, it can supply considerable amounts of thermal energy to support a space heating load. Both the ponds require auxiliary heating, the magnitude being dependent upon the nature of the load.