Solar ray collector with Cobra SMARTsense

Principle

The solar ray collector is illuminated with a high intensity lamp of known light intensity. The heat energy absorbed by the collector can be calculated from the volume flow and the difference in the water temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the absorber, if the inlet temperature stays almost constant by releasing energy to a reservoir. The efficiency of the collector is determined from this. The measurement is made with various collector arrangements and at various absorber temperatures.

Benefits

• Complete solution to study all aspects of thermal energy using a solar ray collector
• Covers one of the most important and highly visible technologies in renewable energy

Tasks

To determine the efficiency of the solar ray collector under various experimental conditions.

• Absorption of energy from the environment (20 °C) without illumination by sun or halogen lamp, water temperature at the absorber inlet T
• Illumination with high intensity lamp. Water temperature T
• Illumination with high intensity lamp. Water temperature T

Learning objectives

• Absorption
• Heat radiation
• Greenhouse effect
• Convection
• Conduction of heat
• Collector equations
• Efficiency
• Energy ceiling