Solar Water Heating System
Solar water heating system (SWHS) has three main components, namely, Solar Collector, Insulated hot water storage tank and Cold water tank with required insulated hot water pipelines and accessories. In the case of smaller systems (100 – 2000 litres per day), the hot water reaches the user end, by natural (thermo – siphon) circulation for which the storage tank is located above the collectors. In higher capacity systems, a pump may be used for forced circulation of water. A bank of collectors can be arranged in a series – parallel combination to get higher quantity of hot water. A typical 100 litres insulated tank with a 2 m2 collector area, will supply water at a temperature of 60 - 80°C.
The tanks are generally made of stainless steel to avoid corrosion and are insulated to reduce heat losses. They are also fitted with electrical heater as a backup during monsoon days. The tanks may also be made of G.I. sheets or aluminum. Cold water comes from the over head tank. Hot water from the system is transferred to various utility points through to insulated pipelines. A heat exchanger may be provided when the water is hard.
Usages
Domestic |
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Bathing, Coffee / Tea preparation, Dishwashing etc. |
Industrial |
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Pre-heating of boiler feed water, cooking / dishwashing in industrial canteens. washing of milk canes in dairies, sterilisation of surgical instruments etc. |
conomics (Tentative)
- A 100 lpd domestic solar water heating system (SWHS) can cater to a family of 5 persons and costs about Rs.20000.
- A 1000 lpd industrial system would cost about Rs.2.0 lakhs and would have a payback period of 2 years.
- It saves about 1500 units of electricity per annum equivalent to about Rs.5000/- per year
Contact us
Professor and Head,
Department of Bio-Energy,
TNAU, Coimbatore-641003.
Phone: 0422-6611276
Email: bioenergy@tnau.ac.in |
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