IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v194y2020ics0360544220300049.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reducing thermal imbalances and flow nonuniformity in solar collectors through the selection of free flow area ratio

Author

Listed:
  • García-Guendulain, Juan M.
  • Riesco-Ávila, José M.
  • Picón-Núñez, Martín

Abstract

The effect of the riser to header diameter ratio and total cross-sectional area ratio on the flow distribution and thermal performance of flat-plate solar collectors is investigated. An analytical model based on the mass and momentum conservation equations is developed to determine the pressure drop and flow distribution in flat plate collectors. A numerical model is also developed to the assess the thermal effects of flow maldistribution. The accuracy of both models is verified against comparison with experimental measurements taken from the open literature. The use of the models is then extended to cover the flow distribution in solar collector networks. It is found that for laminar and turbulent conditions, cross-sectional area ratios and diameter ratios equal or lower than 0.75 and 0.25 respectively, minimize flow nonuniformity and reduce thermal imbalances. The results can be used for design purposes.

Suggested Citation

  • García-Guendulain, Juan M. & Riesco-Ávila, José M. & Picón-Núñez, Martín, 2020. "Reducing thermal imbalances and flow nonuniformity in solar collectors through the selection of free flow area ratio," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:194:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220300049
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.116897
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220300049
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2020.116897?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cerón, J.F. & Pérez-García, J. & Solano, J.P. & García, A. & Herrero-Martín, R., 2015. "A coupled numerical model for tube-on-sheet flat-plate solar liquid collectors. Analysis and validation of the heat transfer mechanisms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 275-287.
    2. Amirfazli, Amir & Asghari, Saeed & Sarraf, Mohammad, 2018. "An investigation into the effect of manifold geometry on uniformity of temperature distribution in a PEMFC stack," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 141-151.
    3. Jiang, Yuguang & Xu, Yaxing & Zhang, Silong & Chetehouna, Khaled & Gascoin, Nicolas & Qin, Jiang & Bao, Wen, 2017. "Parametric study on the distribution of flow rate and heat sink utilization in cooling channels of advanced aero-engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 1056-1068.
    4. Wang, Letian & Yang, Zhen & Duan, Yuanyuan, 2015. "Influence of flow distribution on the thermal performance of dual-media thermocline energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 283-292.
    5. Guillermo Martínez-Rodríguez & Amanda L. Fuentes-Silva & Juan R. Lizárraga-Morazán & Martín Picón-Núñez, 2019. "Incorporating the Concept of Flexible Operation in the Design of Solar Collector Fields for Industrial Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Cruz-Peragon, F. & Palomar, J.M. & Casanova, P.J. & Dorado, M.P. & Manzano-Agugliaro, F., 2012. "Characterization of solar flat plate collectors," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 1709-1720.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Juan Manuel García-Guendulain & José Manuel Riesco-Avila & Francisco Elizalde-Blancas & Juan Manuel Belman-Flores & Juan Serrano-Arellano, 2018. "Numerical Study on the Effect of Distribution Plates in the Manifolds on the Flow Distribution and Thermal Performance of a Flat Plate Solar Collector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Cha, Dowon & Yang, Wonseok & Kim, Yongchan, 2019. "Performance improvement of self-humidifying PEM fuel cells using water injection at various start-up conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 514-524.
    3. Zhou, Liqun & Wang, Yiping & Huang, Qunwu, 2019. "Parametric analysis on the performance of flat plate collector with transparent insulation material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 534-542.
    4. Hernández-Escobedo, Q. & Rodríguez-García, E. & Saldaña-Flores, R. & Fernández-García, A. & Manzano-Agugliaro, F., 2015. "Solar energy resource assessment in Mexican states along the Gulf of Mexico," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 216-238.
    5. Feng, Yu & Liu, Yuna & Cao, Yong & Gong, Keyu & Liu, Shuyuan & Qin, Jiang, 2020. "Thermal management evaluation for advanced aero-engines using catalytic steam reforming of hydrocarbon fuels," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    6. Xu, Jing & Cheng, Kunlin & Dang, Chaolei & Wang, Yilin & Liu, Zekuan & Qin, Jiang & Liu, Xiaoyong, 2023. "Performance comparison of liquid metal cooling system and regenerative cooling system in supersonic combustion ramjet engines," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    7. Manzano-Agugliaro, F. & Sanchez-Muros, M.J. & Barroso, F.G. & Martínez-Sánchez, A. & Rojo, S. & Pérez-Bañón, C., 2012. "Insects for biodiesel production," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 3744-3753.
    8. Alba Mondragón-Valero & Borja Velázquez-Martí & Domingo M. Salazar & Isabel López-Cortés, 2018. "Influence of Fertilization and Rootstocks in the Biomass Energy Characterization of Prunus dulcis (Miller)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-12, May.
    9. Paniagua, S. & Escudero, L. & Escapa, C. & Coimbra, R.N. & Otero, M. & Calvo, L.F., 2016. "Effect of waste organic amendments on Populus sp biomass production and thermal characteristics," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 166-174.
    10. Martínez-Rodríguez, Guillermo & Fuentes-Silva, Amanda L. & Velázquez-Torres, Daniel & Picón-Núñez, Martín, 2022. "Comprehensive solar thermal integration for industrial processes," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PD).
    11. Abul Kalam Azad & Mohammad Golam Rasul & Talal Yusaf, 2014. "Statistical Diagnosis of the Best Weibull Methods for Wind Power Assessment for Agricultural Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-30, May.
    12. Kazemian, Arash & Salari, Ali & Hakkaki-Fard, Ali & Ma, Tao, 2019. "Numerical investigation and parametric analysis of a photovoltaic thermal system integrated with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 734-746.
    13. Perng, Shiang-Wuu & Chien, Tsai-Chieh & Horng, Rong-Fang & Wu, Horng-Wen, 2019. "Performance enhancement of a plate methanol steam reformer by ribs installed in the reformer channel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 588-601.
    14. Fan, Lixin & Tu, Zhengkai & Chan, Siew Hwa, 2022. "Technological and Engineering design of a megawatt proton exchange membrane fuel cell system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    15. Paola Caputo & Costa Gaia & Valentina Zanotto, 2013. "A Methodology for Defining Electricity Demand in Energy Simulations Referred to the Italian Context," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-19, December.
    16. Wang, Ya-Xiong & Chen, Quan & Zhang, Jin & He, Hongwen, 2021. "Real-time power optimization for an air-coolant proton exchange membrane fuel cell based on active temperature control," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    17. Fernández-García, Aránzazu & Valenzuela, Loreto & Zarza, Eduardo & Rojas, Esther & Pérez, Manuel & Hernández-Escobedo, Quetzalcoatl & Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco, 2018. "SMALL-SIZED parabolic-trough solar collectors: Development of a test loop and evaluation of testing conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 401-415.
    18. Juan R Lizárraga-Morazán & Guillermo Martínez-Rodríguez & Amanda L Fuentes-Silva & Martín Picón-Núñez, 2021. "Selection of solar collector network design for industrial applications subject to economic and operation criteria," Energy & Environment, , vol. 32(8), pages 1504-1523, December.
    19. Ana Cristina Ferreira & Angela Silva & José Carlos Teixeira & Senhorinha Teixeira, 2020. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Solar Thermal Systems Applied to Portuguese Dwellings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-23, December.
    20. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2018. "System-level performance optimization of molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 225-239.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:194:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220300049. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.