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Experimental and mechanism analysis of a tandem solar thermal system with staged water level reduction

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  • Zhai, Chaoqun
  • Sun, Zhilin
  • Yang, Yang

Abstract

Non-concentrating collectors are essential heat-collecting devices in solar desalination systems but typically face challenges such as low efficiency and susceptibility to corrosion. This work introduces a novel tandem solar thermal system with staged water level reduction and conducts experiments under various outdoor weather conditions and different startup strategies, along with corresponding mechanistic analyses. The results revealed that the system's thermal performance is optimal under the 8 °C control, with a maximum thermal efficiency reaching 82.16 %. The maximum temperature rise ratio between this system and a single collector under the same operating conditions reached 3.391. Moreover, the system's thermodynamic process is divided into two stages based on flow and phase changes, with a transition point at 67 °C. This novel system extends the application of non-concentrating collectors into medium-temperature domains, offering a cost-effective solution with minimal secondary energy dependence and fewer energy conversion steps, making it particularly suitable as a heat collection module for desalination systems in arid and semi-arid regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhai, Chaoqun & Sun, Zhilin & Yang, Yang, 2024. "Experimental and mechanism analysis of a tandem solar thermal system with staged water level reduction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:313:y:2024:i:c:s0360544224038052
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134027
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