Energy, Vol.80, 75-84, 2015
Variation of reflected radiation from all reflectors of a flat plate solar collector during a year
In this paper the impact of flat plate reflectors (bottom, top, left and right reflectors) made of Al, on total solar radiation on a solar collector during a day time over a whole year is analyzed. An analytical model for determining optimum tilt angles of a collector and reflectors for any point on the Earth is proposed. Variations of reflectors' optimal inclination angles with changes of the collector's optimal tilt angle during the year are also calculated. Optimal inclination angles of the reflectors for the South directed solar collector are calculated and compared to experimental data. It is shown that optimal inclination of the bottom reflector is the lowest in December and the highest in June, while for the top reflector the lowest value is in June and the highest value is in December. On the other hand, optimal inclination of the left and right side reflectors for optimum tilt angle of the collector does not change during the year and it is 66. It is found that intensity of the solar radiation on the collector increases for about 80% in the summer period (June-September) by using optimally inclined reflectors, in comparison to the collector without reflectors. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.