A two-dimensional heat transfer analysis of the thermal-trap collector

Abstract

A two-dimensional analytical model is developed for the prediction of the heat transfer in an irradiated semitransparent slab with forced convection cooling at one face. The results are applied to the thermal trap flat-plate collector. The collector efficiency predicted by the two-dimensional model agrees well with the predictions of the one-dimensional model. The performance of a thermal trap of thickness 0.01 m with an outer glass cover is comparable to that of a flat-plate collector with a selective surface. In the absence of the outer cover, the collector performance depends strongly on the outer surface heat loss coefficient. © 1988.