Evaluation of Energetic and Exergetic Efficiency of a Solar Collector Equipped with Porous Plate, with Recycling System and with Reflectors

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.Sc. student of Biosystem Engineering, Department of Agro-technology, University of Tehran, Aboreyhan Campus, Pakdasht, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Biosystem Engineering, Department Agro-technology, University of Tehran, Aboreyhan Campus, Pakdasht, Iran

3 Assistance Professor of department of Biosystem Engineering, University of Kurdistan. Sanandj, Iran

Abstract

In this study, the amount of produced thermal energy, exergetic and energetic efficiency of a collector at three conditions with porous plate (PS), with recycling system (PRS) and with reflectors (PRE) in a solar dryer was investigated. For all the experiments the fluid flow rate was 0.018 kg/s. Tomato slices with 7 mm thickness were considered for drying process evaluation. All the experiments were carried out during three consecutive days of June of 2018 from 8:00 to 18:00. The value of total energy enters to the dryer for PS, PRS and PRE changed to 21.94, 24.93 and 28.77 MJ, respectively. Moreover, the energy efficiency obtained 21.03-52.30% for PS, 23.12-58.23% for PRS and 30.01-69.75% for PRE. The maximum exergy efficiency for mentioned conditions was calculated about 19.40%, 21.20% and 23.12%, respectively. The specific energy used for drying of the slices for PS, PRS and PRE was obtained 9.68, 9.28 and 8.82 MJ/kg, respectively and this shows that using the reflectors is proper method to increase thermal efficiency of the flat plate collectors.

Keywords


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