PCM-based solar thermal collectors.

Abstract

The modern world today, with its rapidly increasing population and the upraising of developing countries has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for energy. With the rapid depletion of conventional fuels such as oil, coal and natural gases, extensive research on other means of producing energy has been done, and solar energy is one of the main topics being studied. As such, solar collectors which absorbs the light energy from the sun and converts it into heat energy has been extensively studied and fabricated as an alternative means of water heating, leading to savings in costs and also increased efficiency.

The objective of the project is to develop a solar thermal collector with phase change material (PCM) and investigate the performance of a PCM against air as the heat storage medium. The possibility of commercializing a PCM-based solar collector for water heating purposes will be evaluated. The project will involve improving on the design that was done previously.