Theoretical and Experimental Study of The Performance of The Flat-Plate Thermosiphon Collector of A Solar Water Heater Using Locally Available Materials

Abstract

<p>Our work focuses on a numerical and experimental study of a flat plate solar collector designed and tested at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Burkina Faso at the Ouagadougou annex site. This device converts solar radiation into thermal energy. It was designed using locally available materials by a local designer. The objective of our work is to study temperature changes, efficiency, and the impact of solar radiation on the system during a less sunny period (rainy weather) that is conducive to the use of domestic hot water in order to evaluate its performance and provide solutions to optimize the device's efficiency and performance. The numerical results show that the average water temperature is 33°C compared to 49°C for the experimental results, with a theoretical efficiency of around 70%. Our results show that this device can heat water during the day despite unfavorable meteorological conditions.</p>