A novel model for optimizing tilts of four reflectors on a flat plate thermal collector: Case study in Ouargla region

Abstract

Enhancing the produced thermal energy of a flat plate thermal collector by increasing the received sunlight using reflectors is an economical solution. For this purpose, tilts optimization of four identical planar reflectors surrounding a fixed and a bi-axial tracked flat plate thermal collector in the southeast of Algeria was investigated experimentally and by simulating novel mathematical model. The findings showed that the novel tilt angles of the reflectors in the fully tracked case, which were fixed at 67° anywhere throughout the year. On the other hand, in the fixed case, they varied from one month to another. According to the simulation results, the average annual solar irradiation was increased by 64% in the stationary system without shadowing and by 111.28% in the two-axis solar tracked system. Experimental results showed that the daily average benefit ratio of incoming sunlight and the produced thermal energy for a two-axis tracked V-Trough concentrator were considerably enhanced, especially the received irradiation, and were equal to 4.25 and 2.48, respectively. However, in the fixed case, the improvements were only 1.52 and 1.33, respectively.

Keywords

• Reflectors
• Flat plate thermal collector
• Optimum tilt angle
• Full tracking system
• Thermal energy
• Ouargla region