Abstract
The most important component of a Solar Water Heater is the Solar Energy Collector whose main function is to absorb radiant energy from the sun as much as possible and convert it into heat and transfer it to the fluid flowing in the channel which is welded on the absorber plate. The most important step to utilize solar energy in an effective way for heating of water is to develop an efficient low cost flat plate solar collector. As discussed earlier a solar energy flat plate collector has five components: absorber plate, glazing, insulation, tubes or channel in the absorbing plate, and tray. There are several advantages of using flat-plate collectors for heating water such as (a) it absorbs direct as well as diffuse radiation, (b) simple to construct, (c) no need of sun following arrangement, (d) low in cost, and (e) the collector can form an integral part of the roof. Since the most expensive part of a solar water heater is the flat plate collector, while designing a collector one should consider the following three factors:
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Thermal performance
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Cost of construction
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Life time and reliability
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© 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Garg, H.P. (1986). Absorber Plate Configuration and Optimization. In: Garg, H.P. (eds) Solar Water Heating Systems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5480-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5480-9_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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