Thermal assessment of cylindrical parabolic integrated collector storage using input-output and dynamic system testing procedures: Experimental and numerical study

The main limitation of Integrated Collector Storage systems lies in their low efficiencies and high loss coefficients. In this paper, experimental and numerical setups are conducted to assess the thermal performances of low cost Cylindrical Parabolic Integrated Collector storage (CP-ICS). The conceived system has two aluminum plates in parabolic form serving as reflectors, each with a surface area of 2 m2. The storage tank has a volume of 160 L covered with a layer of black paint with single and double transparent insulations. Results of the experimental tests using Input-Output method showed that the daily thermal efficiency ηd of the developed systems is equal to 48.21% and 49.46% for single and double insulation cover configurations, respectively. The total store heat capacity Cs, the useful collector surface Ac* and the storage tank heat losses coefficient Us of the system found using Dynamic System Testing procedure are equal to 0.56 MJ/K, 0.74 m2 and 1.59 W/K, respectively. Even if the energy efficiency of the system is slightly lower than that recorded in conventional systems, numerical results of long-term study using TRNSYS software showed that the system provides a reasonable solar fraction for the needs of a family in Tunisian climate. A comparative assessment of the developed solar collector performances in different representative climates showed that the use of the CP-ICS system presents a promising solution for countries with annual ambient temperatures fluctuating from 13°C to 33°C, such as Araxos with a solar coverage of 30.65% for a daily supply volume of 160 L. More importantly, in Faya-Largeau location, presenting Chadian climate data, the solar fraction is found to be the highest and reached an average of 67.25%.