- Title
- Multi linear regression-based modeling and performance monitoring of flat plate solar collector outlet temperature in Alice, South Africa
- Creator
- Ndlovu, Nothando
- Subject
- Solar collectors Solar water heaters
- Date Issued
- 2015
- Date
- 2015
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MSc
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12676
- Identifier
- vital:39298
- Description
- In a period of rapidly increasing energy demand, the exploitation of abundantly available solar energy is imperative. Temperate climates like South Africa show good potential for utilizing solar-driven technologies such as solar water heaters. These systems offer an attractive alternative over conventional water geysers as a means to supply hot water for residential use. In South Africa, the solar water heater industry is growing rapidly as the government offers incentives manufactures and consumers. This necessitates the determination of performance of these systems through experimental analysis as well as performance prediction. This study evaluated the summer and winter performance of a flat plate, thermosyphon solar water heater under climatic conditions encountered in Alice, South Africa by considering the collector outlet temperature. The performance and weather data obtained were used to develop a multi linear regression (MLR) model for each season. MLR is a simple and easily applicable modelling approach which uses a set of input and output data to determine the model coefficients of a linear relation of two or more variables. The collector outlet temperature was correlated with solar radiation, ambient temperature, relative humidity, and collector inlet temperature since these variables have a direct impact on the collector temperature rise. Results from the performance showed that the collector performs well, attaining temperatures up to 87.2oC during the summer season and 70oC during winter season. The summer and winter percentage mean absolute error for the whole monitoring period were 4.07 percent and 6.2 percent respectively which indicate that MLR can be successfully applied to predict collector outlet temperatures in both seasons.
- Format
- 121 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- University of Fort Hare
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science and Agriculture
- Language
- English
- Rights
- University of Fort Hare
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UFH Department of Physics
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | M Sc (Physics) NDLOVU, N.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |