Experimental and numerical investigation of a flat-plate solar collector

In the present paper we present an experimental analysis and a thermal and hydrodynamic modelling of a newly designed flat-plate solar collector characterized by its corrugated channel and by the high surface area directly in contact with the heat transport fluid. The thermal and hydrodynamic modelling of the collector has been performed by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM), validated with analytical results for a well-known fin-and-tube type solar collector. The thermodynamic efficiency of the collector is analyzed by means of its experimental heating curves. The yield of the new collector has been compared to a previously existing commercial collector of related geometry but with less area in direct contact with the heat transport fluid. The experimental results are seen to adequately fit the simulation predictions, and a methodology to use in order to compute the parameters characterizing the thermal behavior of the collector is introduced. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.