LOW-COST SOLAR WATER-HEATER SUITABLE FOR RURAL, AS WELL AS URBAN, AREAS OF VIETNAM

The built-in-storage type of solar water heater will be suitable for r ural as well as urban areas of Vietnam, in general, and the Hanoi regi on, in particular (mainly for domestic purposes). In this paper, a the rmal model for optimisation of the design parameters and estimation of the effect of various parameters on the thermal performance of this s olar water healer is presented. The paper also presents the numerical computations with the climatic conditions of the Hanoi region for thre e cases: (i) using a horizontal collector; (ii) using a sloped collect or without reflector; and (iii) using a sloped collector with reflecto rs. On the basis of the numerical computations, conclusions for the ap plication of this solar water heater in Vietnam have been made. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.