Evacuated tube collectors vs. Flat-plate collectors

Solar water heater uses energy from the sun to heat water and for this purpose solar heating collector is needed which absorbs the heat, and transfers it to where you need it. To do this efficiently, solar heating collectors need to absorb and retain a large volume of sunlight every day. There are two main technologies that have both been time tested. They are Solar Flat Panels, and Solar Evacuated Tubes.Solar water heater has come a long way in the last decade, particularly with the introduction of evacuated tube collectors that are rapidly becoming the preferred option over flat plate systems. Below are listed few points about collectors and how the way it is useful to human needs.

Flat-plate collectors

Flat-plate collectors have been on market for so many years and are most time tested and well known technologies. Generally it consists of a painted mental, such as copper attached to copper pipes where water or a heat transfer liquid passes through This is encased in a metal frame, surrounded by thick insulation to help retain the collected heat, and protected by a sheet of glass or glazing, which also provides an insulating air space.

Evacuated Tube collectors

Evacuated tube collectors are recently developed technology on the market .There are several varieties of evacuated tubes, however the most commonly used type employs the use of a heat pipe surrounded by a glass tube that is under a vacuum. The glass tube actually consists of two walls of glass. In between the two walls, all the air is removed, resulting in a vacuum in the same manner as a clear Thermos bottle would function. This vacuum is the best insulation and gives the evacuated tubes a much better heat retention than air space.

  

Performance

Generally, evacuated tubes perform better in colder or cloudier conditions than their flat panel counterparts. This is because of the vacuum in the glass tube, which allows tube collectors to retain a high percentage of collected heat. They work well in freezing conditions whereas flat panels will not work as much as evacuated tube collectors.

Efficiency

When comparing Evacuated tubes and flat plates having similar quality absorber plate coatings, this intersection typically occurs when the inlet temperature exceeds the ambient by 90 to 100°F or more conditions that most systems do not typically experience. However, it does mean that Evacuated tubes collectors are capable of producing higher temperatures overall and can produce more heat in cold weather.

Cost

Cost is often the primary consideration, especially if performance is comparable. Flat plate collectors tend to be cheaper than evacuated tubes because they are a simpler design and easier to manufacture. While the Evacuated tube cost may cost more, flat-plate collectors’ use considerably more copper and can be subject to greater price fluctuations due to resource prices.

Installation

Flat plat collectors are heavier, take up more room, and can be cumbersome to install on certain roofs. Evacuated tubes tend to have lighter components and are easier to manage on the roof. On the other side, evacuated tubes tend to be more fragile than flat plates.

Summary

A correctly installed solar hot water system can start saving your money straight away. Choosing of best type of collectors will save electricity bills .Flat panel collectors are best for users in southern climates or for northern seasonal homes only used during the summer. Evacuated tube collectors are best for areas where winter temperatures frequently drop in the 40F range or below. Customers needing hot water at higher temperatures in all climates should consider evacuated tube collectors. Glazer is one of the leading solar water heater manufacturer in India will provide high quality, corrosion resistant and warranted solar water heaters with better heat storage. For more details visit http://www.glazerindia.com/industrial-solar-products.html

Important facts about system types turning of solar energy into hot water

Solar water heaters use the solar energy from the sun to generate heat which can then be used to heat water for showering, space heating, industrial processes or even solar cooling. Solar water heating systems use solar panels, called collectors, fitted to your roof. These collect heat from the sun and use it to heat up water which is stored in a hot water cylinder. A boiler or immersion heater can be used as a back-up to heat the water further to reach the temperature you want. Solar water heater not only helps to provides  hot water it has various purposes like solar street light, solar water pumps, solar invert er etc.,There are several types of systems are available  for turning solar energy into hot water.

Batch heaters

In batch heater, household water is stored in a series of metal tubes enclosed in glass tubes. The sunlight falls on the tubes and warms the water inside. The solar heated in the tubes is drawn onto the electric water heater when hot water is used.

Thermosyphon

This system works on a principle called Thermosyphon. Due to density between the cold and hot water, the lighter hot water flows up into the tank and the heavier cold water enters the collector. Solar radiation incident on the collector panels heats the absorb er. This heat is transferred to the water contained  and become less dense than the water in the storage tank. Hot water starts rising and settles at the top of the storage tank simultaneously cold water descends to the collector  tubes ,gets heated up and cycle repeats.The hot water storage tank is well insulated to retain the hot water temperature and to minimize the overnight temperature drop or heat loses.

Forced circulation system

 This is similar to the above system, but adds a pump and controller. The pump makes it possible to pick up more heat out of the collector. The controller measures when the collector is hotter than the tank and turns the pump on or off as appropriate. These systems also have no freeze protection.

Drain-Down Systems

Drain down system is an open loop collector system in which collectors are filled with domestic water under house pressure when there is no danger on freezing. Once the system is filled, a differential controller operates a pump to move water from the tank through the collectors. It provides various advantages there is no heat exchangers, which allow efficient heat transfer directly to the water. The drain down system offers freeze protection during power outages or malfunctioning of the pump or the control system.

Pool heaters

These are the final system, and are not used for heating domestic water. Pool collectors are usually made up of many parallel poly pipes sitting on a roof near the pool. The pool water is circulated through the pipes using the pool’s circulation pump, which would be running anyway. The controller operates a valve to divert some of the pool pump’s water through the collector. When not operating, the collector water drains back into the pool.

Summary

Solar hot water is easily integrated into most people’s lifestyles. Once a system is installed there is no need of maintenance for long term. A solar water heater come in a wide variety of designs, all including a collector and storage tank, using the sun’s thermal energy to heat water and also saves electricity in every home. There are so many solar water heater manufacturers are available to produce solar water heaters for your commercial and business needs available in various capacities. Glazer india is one of the leading 

Features of solar water heating system from danielvhenny

solar water heater manufacturers in India for more details visit http://www.glazerindia.com/domestic-solar-products.html.

Why solar water heaters are familiar nowadays?

Nowadays solar water heater has given more preference than other heating system .Solar water heating systems are different than solar electric systems. Where solar electric systems use the sun's energy to generate power for your home like fridge, light etc., solar water heating systems pump hot water, heated by the sun, into your home.

Process

 It is the solar energy system that uses the sun to heat your cooled water it uses panels to collect solar energy these panels contains a water-based fluid that carries the sun’s heat down to your hot water tank. Without mixing the fluids, the system transfers the suns heat into your hot water supply using a device called a heat exchanger and the cooled fluid returns to the panels to collect heat which can be used for many purposes.

Familiarity of solar heater 

1.     Mostly if we are going with water heater accounts high percent of a typical home energy use, many North Americans homes water heater with natural gas or other fossil fuels that cause many tons of carbon going into atmosphere. So that they switched to the solar water heaters which provides a great way to reduce other emission and protect climate.

2.     These systems use solar energy which is a free and renewable source of energy (free because nobody owns the Sun and renewable because solar energy cannot be depleted like this is the case with fossil fuels for as long as our Sun keeps on shining).

3.     Many of them have used home based electricity to heat the water but now that place has been replaced by solar water heaters because of negative environmental and health effects.

4.     The most important thing that why people were using solar is  because it can provide 80 percent of your hot water needs even in moderate climate

This translates to major utility bill saving, month after month, lot of free energy and lot of savings.

5.     It also increases your home value and it is an investment that will pay back whether you stay or sell.

6.     The other fact why solar is Preferred more is sun doesn’t shine everyday in that case solar water heater typically have a backup gas or electric water heater that kicks in during periods of very low sunlight  time.

7.     It has relatively good backup period in average between five-ten years and low maintenance cost.

8.     One of the cheapest and most established of all the renewable energy technologies.

Things to know before installation

 Before installation of solar heater the things to know in solar systems it should be on the southwest-facing area of your roof. The direction your panels face is not as important as you may think ,Positioning the panels to face west or south will work, and even southeast, east and north-northwest give acceptable results, too. The next things to see the panel and manufacturer warranty and estimate your capacity of the tank, water usage before you buy solar.

Summary

Decide what type of system meets your needs and lifestyle. A solar water heater manufacturer will help you determine what type and size of the system best suits your needs. Glazer is one of the leading manufacturers of solar water heaters in India. Choose the ideal solar water heaters as per your domestic, commercial and industrial needs. For more details visit http://www.glazerindia.com/