Energy Sources, Vol.18, No.6, 685-710, 1996
Simple and accurate method to evaluate the time-averaged performance of flat-plate solar collectors
The article demonstrates an improved version of a method that the authors developed over the last IO years. The method has two stages. First, computational procedures, graphs, and tables are presented for the average day of a given time period and for a specific reference state of the collector (horizontal position and the working fluid average temperature kept constant during the day). Then procedures are developed to use these graphs and cables for different cloud cover classes of day and collector states characterized by any tilt, orientation, and thermal condition and for operational regimes. The central concept of the method is the noon equivalent time, which plays a role similar to that of utilizability in other computational methods. The required tables and graphs must be presented all at once for a given location and time period. Toward this aim, detailed data are needed on the dependence of solar global irradiance on tilt and orientation and cloud cover. Several computational examples are shown.
Keywords:UTILIZABILITY