STUDY ON THE USE OF SOLAR ENERGY FOR HOT WATER

Abstract: Operation of solar installations is dependent on the time the sun shines. Variability of solar radiation has a significant impact on both the design of the solar system and how the equipment component, are put into the opera. For proper evaluation of performance of a solar system designers also need data about the intensity of solar radiation for different areas and data about temperature, measured at the times of the day and depending on the season. All these data are essential for effective design of a thermal solar system. Key words: Energy Efficiency, Solar Energy, Solar Collector 1. Introduction The image of Solar Technology improves every day that passes. The solar offer there will be with us long before now. Solar energy has many outstanding qualities: it is free (as a form of primary energy), is found in unlimited quantities and, unlike conventional systems, solar installations pay for themselves in terms of energy, after a few years. It is true that large investments in solar installations require purchase, but they also offer independence from the rising prices of conventional fuels. Investment costs for solar technology is, in case of new houses built for one family, only 12% of construction costs. In addition, between latitudes that outlines the physical profile of Romania, the sun can provide sufficient radiant energy, especially for getting hot water. Such a solar installation is emerging as a real investment for the future. So what could be more natural than the exploitation of this energy? 2. The energy produced by a solar collector Solar thermal plants convert solar energy into heat that can be used to heating and hot water consumption. Equipment which can be achieved through this conversion are solar collectors By converting thermodynamics, a thermal agent store and transfer this energy (for example) a solar water heater coil, or - it - can be stored to be used later for hot water. The solar weather conditions in Romania, a thermal solar collector working under normal conditions of safety and efficiency during the period April to September, with yields that can reach even up to 90%. A solar thermal system - properly sized and operated can to cover 50% up to 65% of annual hot water, so - called "solar coverage rate"; in the summer - sun coverage - is often of 100%.

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Efficiency itself, derives not only from the fact, that much of the year, energy produced is free, but also because, when a thermal compensation is required, boiler operating at low capacity, consuming, obviously, less. Generally, technological applications in solar radiation ranges are considered only - when the solar flux density - is greater than 200 W/m2. 3. "Principles" of capture The intensity of solar radiation are variable, both during the year, and every day. So that, it is obvious that the heat load of solar thermal collectors will be just as variable, which means thatis we can speak of maximum and minimum values of this sizes. Yield of a solar collector is the amount of heat that is found in the thermal agent to be heated and the amount of solar energy incident on the solar collector surface. It is recommended that factor optical sensor to be as large as to absorb as much solar radiation intensity. The largest amount of heat is found in infrared radiation and no radiation in the visible, leading to the conclusion that this type of radiation can be captured effectively in conditions where the sky is perfectly clear. For achieving this objective, solar panels were built with vacuum tubes, and for efficient capture of solar radiation - even at temperatures below 0 C - were performed solar panels. with heat pipe solar panels. 4. Global Energy Assessment The thermal balance created at a time - between solar energy received by the collector, useful thermal energy and energy losses - make possible the description of the instantaneous efficiency. The generally principles accepted by international norms (ISO) and European (CEN) on the efficiency of a solar collector can be described by three independent temperature coefficients: = 0 a1T* - a2 G (T*)2 0 - solar collector optical efficiency a1 - correction factor - heat loss (through conduction) a2 - correction factor - heat loss (through convection) G - global energy measured in the solar collector
So:

[%] [%] [W/m2K] [W/m2K] [W/m2]

- the efficiency of a solar collector shows to what percent the solar radiation falling on the absorption surface can be converted into useful heat output; - collector efficiency depends on its operating condition; - part of a solar radiation reaching the solar collector is lost through reflection and absorption (parameter which takes into account these losses is the optical efficiency of the collector - 0); - thermal solar panels, during operation, passing through conduction, convection and radiation - a portion of the warm from the environment (correction factors by which these losses are taken into account the factors a1 and a2. 5. Case Study - Optimizing the number of solar thermal tubes to an objective in the city of Vaslui (Romania), taking into account the influence of solar radiation.
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For solar energy applications are useful to study more detailed information on both solar radiation and the number of hours collecting items subjected to this radiation. Operation of solar installations is dependent on the time the sun shines. Thus, the fraction of sunstroke - fins - is equal to the ratio between the number of hours of brilliance and the potential number of hours that the sun may shine, that is - 4477 hours per year. The annual number of brilliance hours is - an,str = 2153 hours and the average fraction Sunstroke is - fan,ins = 0,481. Table 1 - Monthly and Annual Averages fins, fl,ins, ,str, an,str
Parametrul Luna January February March April May June July August September October November December ,str [hour/month] 86,9 93,2 167,5 169,5 212,7 277,9 307,2 294,8 231,1 162,4 86,2 67,9 an,str [hour/year] fl,ins [monthly] 0,34 0,35 0,47 0,43 0,49 0,61 0,69 0,72 0,66 0,54 0,31 0,27 fan,ins [yearly]

2156,7

0,481

Monthly value characteristic of heatstroke each month of the year for the city of Vaslui (Romania) are illustrated in the table below (using the RETScreen software). According to this soft, climatic characteristics (monthly solar radiation, temperature, wind speed, the number of monthly heating degree days, etc.) for the city of Vaslui (considered relevant to the project) are: 46 38'39 "North, 27 44'15" East Elevation: Table 2. - Average daily horizontal solar radiation (per month) - (in column 3), kWh/m2
Jan 1,36 Febr. 2,13 March 3,05 April 3,82 May 4,96 June 5,18 July 5,29 August 4,79 Sept 3,53 Oct. 2,36 Nov. 1,46 Dec 1,1

Table 3. - Monthly average outdoor temperature - (in column 1), C0

Jan Febr. March April May June July August Sept Oct. Nov. Dec

-1,9

-0,8

3,7

10,2

16,2

19,5

21,5

21

16,4

10,4

3,2

-1,5

Ville la plus proche: Vaslui, Roumanie (0 km distante)

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Fig.1 - Changes in solar radiation during the day for different weather situations (March)

Fig. 2. - Variation of horizontal solar radiation over a year The determination of the numbers thermal collectors and heat supplied Thermal tubes collectors - May-August: To: Monthly average solar fraction of 63% and average monthly solar radiation 5,06 [kWh/m2/zi], the amount of heat generated is recorded in Table 4. Table 4

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Month May June July August

Solar Radiation [kWh/m2/zi] 4,96 5,18 5,29 4,79 5,06

Average solar fraction fl,ins [monthly] 0,49 0.61 0.69 0.72

Energy average insolation [kWh/m2/zi]

0,63

3,17

- January February November - December: To: Monthly average solar fraction of 32% and average monthly solar radiation 1,51 [kWh/m2/zi], the amount of heat generated is recorded in Table 5. Table 5

Month January February November December

Solar Radiation [kWh/m2/zi] 1,36 2,13 1,46 1,10 1,51

Average solar fraction fl,ins [monthly] 0,34 0,35 0,31 0,27 0,32

Energy average insolation [kWh/m2/zi]

0,48

- Maximum thermal energy captured by solar thermal tube surface: 0,175 m/tube for each of the periods analyzed is shown in Table 6.

Table 6

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Period May-August April-Sept. March-Oct. Jan-Febr-NovDec.

Surface solar absorption tube [kWh/m2/zi] 0,175 0,175 0,175 0,175

Energy average insolation [kWh/m2/zi] 3,17 2,76 2,39 0,48

Thermal energy produced / thermal solar tube [kWh/tub/zi] 0,555 0,523 0,418 0,084

In the event that the heat demand for hot water consumption is: a) For mounths: May - August
Heat requirement for hot water [kWh/zi] 65,52 Thermal energy produced / thermal solar tube [kWh/tub/zi] 0,555 Tubes required 118 Tubes required/collectors 16 Collectors required 7

b) For mounths: April September

Heat requirement for hot water [kWh/zi] 65,52 Thermal energy produced / thermal solar tube [kWh/tub/zi] 0,523 Tubes required 125 Tubes required/collectors 16 Collectors required 8

c) ) For mounths: March -October

Heat requirement for hot water [kWh/zi] 65,52 Thermal energy produced / thermal solar tube [kWh/tub/zi] 0,418 Tubes required 157 Tubes required/collectors 16 Collectors required 10

d) ) For mounths: Jan Febr - Nov Dec

Heat requirement for hot water [kWh/zi] 65,52 Thermal energy produced / thermal solar tube [kWh/tub/zi] 0,084 Tubes required Tubes required/collectors Collectors required

780

16

49

Conclusions For a collector between April and September the values for the efficiency are between 4090%. In order not to oversize the facility and to optimally exploit the potential of solar collectors will select 8 collectors (16 tubes/collector). It is important to emphasise the fact that the heat produced by the equipment - most effectively - is obtained in May-August; however, a better efficiency can be obtained and in April-September (practically from March 22 to September 22 ), then it is very much diminished.
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It can be seen that a calculation which takes as input measurements/determinations heatstroke energy, is more optimistic than the monthly calculation based on the measurement results of the annual cumulative energy heatstroke Vaslui area ranging between 1150 and 1250 kWh /m 2/ year. Production capacity of the hot water supply system using solar energy obtained depends on various parameters in a complicated way: weather data, application, schedule and system size. Thus, production of daily, monthly and annual basis can not be defined by a simple formula. In the case of a simple calculation, using monthly averages of daily data, which is 12 values for each parameter.

REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] EAST-GSR Solar Thermal applications in Eastern Europe with Guaranteed Solar Results Professional manual for designing collective systems that use solar thermal energy, 2008; Dumitru Florin - Assessing performance of a photovoltaic system using thin technology video connected to relays, the area west and north - west of Romania, PhD thesis, Oradea, 2009 Marina Verdes, Vasilica Ciocan, Marius Costel Balan - Optimizing the number of solar collectors taking into consideration the influence of solar radiation Conferance Timisoara, 2011 www.retscreen.net

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