Experimental Analysis of Solar Thermal Collector in Renewable Energy System

The rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources and growing concerns over environmental sustainability have spurred the adoption of renewable energy technologies. Solar thermal systems, in particular, have attained sufficient attractions because of the suability to harness the abundant and clean energy provided by the sun. This study presents an experimental analysis of a solar thermal heater augmented water distillation unit within a renewable energy system. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the performance and feasibility of utilizing solar thermal energy for water heating and distillation purposes. A solar thermal collector, consisting of evacuated tubes, is used to trap solar rays to convert into heat energy. This heat is then utilized for two purposes: water heating and water distillation. The experimental setup includes a solar thermal collector, a water medium tank, a heat exchanger, and a distillation unit. The sun’s thermal collector absorbs solar irradiation, and the thermal exchanger transfers the collected thermal power to the water mass tank. The water in the tank is heated using solar energy, and a portion of the heated water is directed to the distillation unit for the water distillation process. Several parameters are evaluated during the experimental analysis, including solar radiation intensity, water temperature, distillate production rate, and energy efficiency. The observations collected are analyzed to assess the performance of the solar thermal heater and water distillation unit under different operating conditions, such as varying solar radiation levels and water flow rates.