Comparison of indoor and outdoor experiments on a newly designed air solar plate collector used with the operating conditions of a solar desalination process

The performance of a newly designed solar air plate collector was investigated. A comparison between indoor and outdoor results of the experiments are presented. Graphs of collector efficiency for different operating conditions were established. Solar irradiation intensity, airflow rate and wind velocity were varied to get the collector efficiency at every possible location in a new solar desalination process. The response of the collector outlet temperature and the endurance test on the collector were also tested.

To sum up, the experimental results obtained in the present work were used to stress the influence of different operating conditions on the performance of a new collector design. In short, results show that the newly designed collector is satisfactory with the operating conditions for this desalination process. Such good results, however, do not mean that the new collector has no deficiencies. Indeed, with the rapid response of the collector to solar fluctuations, the air collector temperature drops quickly, resulting in condensation in the chamber and a decrease in performance of the whole solar desalination process. Also, an endurance test on the collector showed that this type of polycarbonate plate collector cannot be used without a blower that ensures air circulation in the chambers of the collector. Such results as endurance tests and response of the collector to rapid variations of irradiation can only be obtained in field experiments, and therefore indoor tests alone are not sufficient to characterize the possibility of the use of such collectors for the desalination process tested.