Design And Construction Of A Portable Solar Water Heater

ABSTRACT

The technology of solar water heating is an emerging field in Nigeria. Due to the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, other energy sources are being sought. This project involves the design and fabrication of a portable solar water heater. The design of the solar water heater was done using relevant equations to size the major components of the system. The materials for the components were then selected with consideration to the design calculations, machinability, market availability and cost of the materials. The system was then constructed using the selected materials. The system consists of a buffer tank, an insulated storage tank of 36 litres capacity, a flat-plate collector with a single layer of glass on top, and a flow channel arranged in a serpentine manner. The thermosyphon principle was applied to the system and an average flow rate of 0.15 litres /min was recorded. The system was tested for six days, the first three days of testing were during the late raining season and the last three days within the dry season. From the first three days of testing during the late raining season, the highest outlet temperature recorded was 650C. For the last three days of testing during the dry season, the highest outlet temperature recorded was 79.3 0C. This difference clearly shows that the system performs better during the dry season when the irradiance levels are higher. The highest irradiance recorded was 940 W/m2 on the sixth day of testing. The highest efficiency recorded from the system was 68.19% on the fourth day of testing.