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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Spiros Papaefthimiou

School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, 73100 Chania, Greece
Interests: advanced solar thermal collectors and photovoltaics; energy efficiency issues and energy saving applications; life cycle assessment and environmental analysis; circular economy and energy related aspects; technologies of “smart” materials for energy related applications; energy characterization of building structural elements; energy management in the shipping sector; emissions trading policies; advanced energy management in water networks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solar thermal systems comprising collector and storage tanks at the same unit belong to the category of low-cost solar devices that mainly cover needs for domestic applications. The development of these systems has been discussed in detail in several works in the last two decades. Among these works, there are some of great interest, combining techniques as vacuum and/or phase change materials (PCM). The scope of this Special Issue is to present recent advances in the development, design, production, and study, either theoretically or experimentally, of advanced solar thermal systems with the above characteristics. Of special interest will be the environmental impacts and life cycle assessment of these systems.

Prof. Dr. Spiros Papaefthimiou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Solar thermal collectors
Heat storage
Phase change materials
Vacuum
Environmental analysis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 12396 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Design, Energy, Environmental and Cost Analysis of an Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater Based on Multi-Criteria Methodology

by Nektarios Arnaoutakis, Andreas P. Vouros, Maria Milousi, Yannis G. Caouris, Giorgos Panaras, Antonios Tourlidakis, Kyriakos Vafiadis, Giouli Mihalakakou, Christos S. Garoufalis, Zacharias Frontistis, Spiros Papaefthimiou and Manolis Souliotis

Energies 2022, 15(5), 1673; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15051673 - 23 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2526

Abstract

The paper presents a design and operation analysis of an Integrated Collector Storage (ICS) solar water heater, which consists of an asymmetric Compound Parabolic Concentrating (CPC) reflector trough, while the water tank comprises two concentric cylinders. The annulus between these vessels is partially depressurized and contains a small amount of water in the bottom of the outer vessel which dominantly contributes to the heat transfer from the outer to the inner cylinder. A multi-criteria optimization algorithm is applied to re-evaluate the design specifications of the parabolic surface, thus modifying the design of the entire ICS system and predict the necessary number of units for achieving the highest possible effectiveness with minimized fabrication costs and environmental impacts. The environmental footprint of the device is assessed through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The produced thermal energy in conjunction with the environmental and economic results are evaluated as a function of different configuration parameters regarding the water storage conditions, the solar radiation and the total pressure inside the annulus. The ultimate aim of the evaluation process is to offer new perspectives on the design principles of environmentally friendly and cost-effective devices with improved thermal performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development, Design, Production and Environmental Analysis of Advanced Solar Thermal Collectors and Heat Storage Systems)

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11 pages, 4038 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on Developing an Automatic Controller with an Inverter Collector Pump for Solar-Assisted Heating System

by Le Minh Nhut and Youn Cheol Park

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2128; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13092128 - 27 Apr 2020

Viewed by 2253

Abstract

In this study, based on the optimal equation

m = 0.05 Δ T A_{c}

(kg/min) of the variable mass flow rate in the collector loop, an automatic controller with an inverter collector pump for the collector loop of the solar-assisted heating system [...] Read more.

In this study, based on the optimal equation

m = 0.05 Δ T A_{c}

(kg/min) of the variable mass flow rate in the collector loop, an automatic controller with an inverter collector pump for the collector loop of the solar-assisted heating system is designed for these experiments and to then be used for real industry. The pump for the collector loop is an inverter type that is controlled by an embedded controller with Windows, based on C# language, and the change of speed depends on the variation of the mass flow rate through the collector loop. The input of the automatic controller with an inverter collector pump is given by a thermocouple input module that is connected to the embedded controller with the RS-485 communication protocol. In this work, the experiments were carried out on three different days, namely a clear day, an intermittently cloudy day and an overcast day, to evaluate the stability and the precision of the automatic controller, as well as the contribution of the useful heat gain from the collector for the solar-assisted heating system. Simulation and experimental results are also validated and analyzed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development, Design, Production and Environmental Analysis of Advanced Solar Thermal Collectors and Heat Storage Systems)

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