Simulation Study of Influence of Inertia of Water on the Thermal Performance of All-glass Evacuated Tube Solar Collector

Under the unsteady condition, a new numerical model was developed so as to study the influence of inertia of water on the thermal performance of all-glass evacuated tube solar collector and match the differences with the conventional models. Simulation results are presented referring to the impacts of inertia of water on the outlet collector temperature, the on/off control of pump and the useful heat gain from the storage tank. Comparison of the results obtained from the simulation confirms that for all-glass evacuated tube solar collector, the effect of inertia of water is critical. Reducing the inertia of water will result in increasing pump turn-on time and more useful heat gain.