Energy and Exergy Analysis of a Developed Compound Parabolic Collector Using a Pumped Solar Water Heating System

Solar water heating systems utilize different types of collectors in heating water. Therefore, a study on energy and exergy analysis of a compound parabolic collector in a pumped solar water heating system is presented. The compound parabolic collector was designed using basic sizing principles and constructed using locally available materials. The materials used in the construction include aluminum for the concentrator, copper pipes for the circulation of water through the system and mild steel for the compound parabolic collector frame. A detailed description of the construction steps followed in the development of the compound parabolic collector is presented. An experimental active solar water heating system consisting of the compound parabolic collector, a storage tank and a pump was used for analysis of energy and exergy. A pyranometer and probes were placed at the experimental site to measure solar radiance and ambient temperature respectively at the intervals of ten minutes. Experiments were carried out using the solar water heating system and a net temperature rise of 22.4°C was obtained. The energy efficiency of the compound collector was 93.1% while the obtained exergy efficiency was 20.1%. The results show that the developed compound parabolic collector is very effective in solar water heating and agrees with established research.