Numerical study on the optimization of the design of the large solar collector applied in cold rural areas

This work presents numerical simulations aimed at optimizing the design of large flat plate solar collectors (has a profile area of 10.04 m^2) applied in cold rural areas. Conventional flat-plate collectors usually have a profile area of 1-2 m^2 and are assembled in arrays in large water heating systems. However, due to the shadow effect of the collectors, the available insolation area of a collector array is relatively low. In comparison, using the large collector can enhance the land use efficiency. In this paper, we propose a numerical model of a double-glazed large collector applied in cold rural areas to assess the influence of the design parameters (collector’s type of absorber strips, aspect ratio, airgap thickness, pipe number) on thermal efficiency and antifreeze performance. This work outlines the main trends concerning the leading parameters impacting the large solar collector’s thermal performance.