Comparative Analysis of Parabolic Trough Solar Water Heater by Using Different Reflectors with and without Glass Cover

Abstract

All forms of energy on earth are derived from solar energy, so it is the primary source. Demand of energy consumption in today’s era is increasing continuously; this puts the burden on our conventional energy sources like coal, petroleum, natural gas etc. which are limited and can exhaust in future if not managed by alternate sources. So, use of solar energy for various energy generation processes is best option because it is renewable source of energy and has no contribution in greenhouse gases and other pollutants to the environment. It is sustainable because it will not deplete in next future.In this paper, the potential of a solar thermal system for hot water generation has been studied. In the present study, a setup is developed with manual solar radiation tracking mechanism and a comparative analysis of parabolic trough solar water heater by using different reflector materials with and without glass cover, is executed. A trough is manufactured by cutting and welding of stainless steel sheet, and inthe setup, aluminum foil and mirror strips are used as reflectors. A copper tube of 18 mm diameter at 240 mm focal length of trough is used as absorber.Experiment is executed in four steps with different reflectors with and without glass cover on trough face to minimize losses due to wind blow. The maximum performance of setup is noted and compared with remaining three cases. The experiment has been done in month of May 2017(summer season) at SRCEM College, Banmore Madhya Pradesh.