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A high performance porous flat-plate solar collectorA solar collector employing a porous matrix as a solar absorber and heat exchanger is presented and its application in solar air heaters is discussed. The collector is composed of a metallic matrix with a porous surface which acts as a large set of cavity radiators; cold air flows through the matrix plate and exchanges heat with the thermally stratified layers of the matrix. A steady-state thermal analysis of the collector is used to determine collector temperature distributions for the cases of an opaque surface matrix with total absorption of solar energy at the surface, and a diathermanous matrix with successive solar energy absorption at each depth. The theoretical performance of the porous flat plate collector is shown to exceed greatly that of a solid flat plate collector using air as the working medium for any given set of operational conditions. An experimental collector constructed using commercially available, low cost steel wool as the matrix has been found to have thermal efficiencies from 73 to 86%.
Document ID
19800028268
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Lansing, F. L.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Clarke, V.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif., United States)
Reynolds, R.
(Kentrol International, Inc. Pasadena, Calif., United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1979
Publication Information
Publication: vol. 4
Subject Category
Energy Production And Conversion
Accession Number
80A12438
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS7-100
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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