, Lina Jassim 2
, Ali Najim Abdullah Saieed 3
, Karrar A. Hammoodi 4
, Hasan Shakir Majdi 5
2Mechanical Engineering Department, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad 10052, Iraq
3Department of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering, Al-Rafidain University College, Baghdad 10014, Iraq
4Department of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Techniques Engineering, University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Baghdad Rd, Karbala, 56001, Iraq
5Department of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Industries, Al-Mustaqbal University College, 51001 Hillah, Babylon, Iraq
Abstract
The research addresses the reduction in performance of solar evacuated tube collectors resulting from environmental conditions, including wind, ambient temperature, and humidity. The thermal efficiency of solar collectors needs to be enhanced to enable the development of more
sustainable heating systems. Solar evacuated tubes exhibited improved heat retention through a newly designed, isolated enclosure that protected them from environmental factors. The simulation evaluated the thermal performance of solar evacuated tubes for enclosure gaps of 10 cm, 20 cm, and 30 cm and for tube azimuth angles of 0° and 40°, under summer and winter conditions. The thermal enclosure raised the tube’s average maximum internal temperature from 321 K to 328 K, resulting in notable heat accumulation. A 10-cm enclosure gap reached a temperature of 314.5 K at 1:00 p.m., with a thermal efficiency of 94.29%. The designed enclosure prevented heat loss during sunset hours, thereby improving system reliability. Building on previous research, this paper presents an uncomplicated enclosure system that optimizes heat-transfer performance and thermal efficiency using basic design methods that do not require sophisticated tracking equipment. The Results confirm that solar thermal collectors with enclosure systems function as economical and effective methods to enhance performance regardless of environmental
conditions.
