Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of Cylindrical Air-Heating Solar Collector

Solar energy is used not only at low latitudes, where it is available at large amounts, but also at higher latitudes, where height of sun and irradiance are significantly lower. On the other hand, the length of day at higher latitudes is longer in summer than at low latitudes, and also the path of the sun is longer.

The present research deals with seeking for new shapes of solar collectors capable of receiving more solar energy.

For designing and evaluating new shapes of solar collectors, it is necessary to have new methods for simple calculations of energy received from the sun by surface of any shape and direction. Such a method is explained in the present paper.

Based on calculations by the proposed method, a new form of solar collector – a cylindrical collector – has been worked out. This collector is intended for air heating, but main principles can also be used for water heating, and even for photovoltaics.

A cylindrical collector receives more energy in the morning and evening than a flat one, but at midday power of both collectors is equal, if effective areas are equal. Daily energy sum of the cylindrical solar collector is 1.5 times greater than that of the flat one.