Reduction of wind uplift of a solar collector model

Due to the geographical location of Taiwan, solar water heaters on the roof of buildings are frequently subjected to the impact of severe typhoons. An experimental study of a scaled commercial system was conducted to investigate the mean surface pressure distributions and uplift force at different speeds. To reduce the possible damage due to strong wind uplift, one approach is to lift the model and the other is to install a guide plate. It is found that the wind uplift is reduced effectively with a guide plate normal to the wind direction. Effects of the incremental height of model are less significant in reducing the uplift force. Reynolds number independence for the present test configuration is also observed.