Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of a solar thermal water pump

Thermodynamic analysis has been carried out in detail, to predict the perfo rmance of a solar thermal water pump working at different discharge heads. It is shown that the heating time of the working fluid and the condensation time of the spent vapour play an important role in determining the number of cycles that a pump can perform in a day. The heating time in turn depend s on the amount of working fluid being loaded in the system initially. Simi larly, it is observed that an optimal cooling coil area dictates the effect ive condensation time. Hence, in the present work, an optimum design has be en outlined for a solar thermal water pump, both in terms of the amount of the working fluid to be loaded in the system and the optimum cooling coil a rea. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.