Thermodynamic Analysis of Flat Plate Solar Collector Simulator and Optimization of Process Variables

In this paper the energy and exergy analysis of flat plate solar collector simulator equipped with Inclined Broken Rib roughness was investigated based on experimental data in open circuit as well as optimizing system operating conditions. The experiments were carried out with nine levels of mass flow rates (0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.06, 0.07, 0.08, 0.09, 0.10 and 0.11 kg/s), five levels of heat flux (1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1400 W/m^2) and three levels of ambient air temperature (20, 25 and 30 °C). The results showed that the highest and lowest values of energy efficiency were found 49.8 and 0.3%, in treatments with ambient temperature of 20 and 25 °C, mass flow rate of 0.11 kg/s and heat flux of 1000 and 1400 W/m^2, respectively. Also, the highest and lowest exergy efficiency were calculated 5.75 and 0.607% in treatments with ambient temperature of 20 and 30 °C, mass flow rate of 0.11 kg/s and 0.03 and heat flux of 1000 W/m^2, respectively. The response surface methodology was employed to optimize solar collector operating conditions. Optimum operating conditions were found to be anambient temperature of 20 °C, mass flow rate of 0.11 kg/s and heat flux of 1000 W/m^2. At this optimum condition, the energy and exergy efficiency were found to be 42.08 and 5.76%, respectively at a desirability level of 0.92.