Thermal analysis of compact solar water heater under local climatic conditions

Extensive experimental studies on a compact solar water heater were carried out, in order to evaluate the performance of the heater and determine the optimal depth of the storage tank. The experiments were conducted for tank depths of 5, 10 and 15 cm with single and double glazing. Experimental results show that a temperature rise of about 68 °C during the month of July at storage tank depth of 10 cm can be achieved by the heater. The 10 cm depth of the tank is optimum which can supply hot water for 24 h. The rise of water temperature is slightly higher in the case of single glazing than the double glazed system, while the double glazed system is more effective in retaining higher temperatures during night hours.