MARIO L. CONVERSANO
Solar Thermal Energy
Introduction
Discover the world of Solar Energy and solar panels
The sun as a source of clean, renewable energy
The sun as an energy source
Solar radiation is undoubtedly the best source of energy throughout the planet, being available almost everywhere and in quantities far greater than the needs of all humanity. On a day the Earth receives an amount of energy from the sun 30 times greater than the world population consumes in a complete year
Solar thermal collectors: free hot water from the sun
Discover here the world of Thermal Solar Energy, how the collectors are made, how they work and where it is possible to install them.
The use of solar energy for heat generation occurs through panels or solar thermal
collectors. Among the different types available in the market are flat glass collectors and plastic vacuum panels, the first are the most popular due to cost and good
performance.
How can they be used?
Thermal collectors can be used for:
1) hot water production
2) integrated space heating (in houses, hotels, hospitals, clinics, industrial processes, etc.).
3) integration of heating swimming pools,jacuzzis, etc.
Where and how thermal solar panels can be installed?
In most cases they are installed on the roof, whether it is a pitched roof or flat roof.
They even can be installed on the ground.
Roof tiles- Thermal collectors can be integrated on the roof, replacing tiles. The installation is a little more expensive, but the
aesthetic result is much better than installing the colectors on the roof tiles ( see installation type below "retrofit").
Flat roof - Using the structure in hot dip galvanized steel or stainless steel panels can be fixed on the surface of the roof. The
attachment is secured by anchors (in this case restoring the insulating membrane of the roof as it was originaly).
How the thermal solar collectors are made
Section of a solar thermal collector
The solar thermal collectors are like a "chamber" to produce heat.
These tubes are welded to a plate, called the absorber plate, treated in such a way that maximizes solar energy captured and transmited to the tubes and in turn circulates the solar fluid, and is responsible for raising the water temperature inside the storage tank. The insulation of the collector made of fiberglass, or rock wool between the pipes and the outer frame base, minimizes heat loss. The front is protected by a thick tempered glass, which also provides mechanical strength.
We want to emphasize that in our systems the tempered glass has a unique feature, because on the underside we have minuscule concave dimples that reflect the suns heat rays back into the solar plate and in this way our collectors are more efficient performance, cost effective, and produce heat faster than other systems.
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Storage Tank for system forced circulation
Pump circulation system: Storage tank
Design system forced circulation
The forced thermal systems are the ideal solution when you want to produce hot water in high quantities such as in apartments, buildings, retirement homes, hotels, restaurants, sports halls or gyms with showers etc...
Solar circuit
The solar circuit, including the pipes, circulation pump, valves and expansion tank ( contains the expansion of the liquid with the rising sun temperature).
Electronic Control
The electronic control unit, controls the startup and shutdown of the circulation pump of the solar liquid , and sends signals to automatically start electric solenoid valves, emergency equipment such as boilers, boosters and others.
How do they work?
Discover the operation of these systems following the diagram shown on the right.
Thermal collectors (A) inside the pipes of the collector, the solar liquid flows (water plus antifreeze) which gets hot when exposed to the sun . A control unit (B) measures
the temperature reached by the liquid in the collector and the water in the bottom part inside the tank. When the collector fluid exceeds the temperature of the bottom
of the tank, the controller starts the pump (C), circulating the liquid into the circuit, through the heat exchanger inside the tank. Through this coil
(D) hot water is exchanged in the tank to be finally used in the hot water circuit of the house (E).
WINTER
In winter or in periods of prolonged bad weather or at times with high consumption, it requires more water than the system can provide. In these cases the boiler (F), which heats the
water, by a secondary coil located on top of the tank, to provide thermal energy as a backup or reinforcement. These devices can run on gas, diesel or electricity
to reach the required temperature.
SUMMER
In summer the solar thermal system, completely covers all the needs without resorting to emergency systems, unless they exceed the amount of water calculated at normal consumption
To designe the thermal system that best suits the needs, one should start by considering the latitude of the site and climate characteristics, overall water consumption, and the area available for placement of solar thermal system (ceiling or floor).
The main advantages of this plan are as follows:
1. High efficiency from the vertical tank (you avoid mixing hot and cold water)
2. Positioning of the tank inside the house (minimizes visual impact of the system and architectural considerations).
The natural circulation solar thermal systems can take advantage of solar heat collectors for circulating liquid or natural Termosifon. This is an ideal system for simple and cost-effective solutions for residential use.
How do they work?
Let's look at these plan on the right and make some comments .
(A) The sun's rays heat the solar fluid (water plus antifreeze) which is in the tubes inside the collector to heat up naturally and begins to move the liquid toward the tank
mounted horizontally above the solar collectors.
(B) Here the solar fluid exchanges heat through the internal heat exchanger directly to water in the tank ready for use in the hot water system of the residence.
WINTER
In winter or during periods of prolonged severe weather, if water heated by the sun does not reach the required temperature, the emergency system enters, which can be by electrical
heat elements in the boiler, or gas, before entering the hot water circuit of the house. In this way the water enters the boiler gas preheated by the sun, reducing the consumption of gas or electricity.
SUMMER
In summer the water heated by the sun goes directly into the hydraulic system of the residence without any heating from the boiler.
These excellent solar systems are manufactured by Heliotherm, a leader in solar thermal technology in Europe.
For the U.S. area, Central and South America these systems are distributed exclusively by Mario L. Conversano.
The main advantages of these systems are as follows:
1. Low cost
2. Easy installation
3. Very convenient for use mainly during summer or in places with high exposure to sunlight
For any additional information, please send an email to mario.conversano@gmail.com or visit our web page www.heliotherm.gr
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Institute Padri Dehoniani Frascati Rome Italy
Institute Salesiano Opera San Antonio di Andria in Puglia Italy
Institute Diaconiano Pontassieve Florence Italy
Hotel Dei Cavalieri - AMALFI Italy
Boilers of accumulation
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