A WATER-TRICKLE SOLAR COLLECTOR

A trapezoidally corrugated aluminium water-trickle solar collector was constructed and tested under the climatic conditions of Ankara, Turke y (39-degrees 57'N, 32-degrees 53'E). Experimental thermal efficiency curves were constructed for both closed- and open-hole cases. For the open-hole case, a theoretical performance model was developed, which c alculates iteratively the energy flows and temperature distributions. Effects of mass flow rate, ambient temperature, solar radiation intens ity, and wind velocity on the calculated efficiency of the collector w ere studied. The major findings were discussed and the problems associ ated with the design and operation of the system were pointed out.