Project Title

Solar Thermal Collector

Author

Hazel Tickner, Central Washington UniversityFollow
Tyson Nakamura, Central Washington University

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Date of Degree Completion

Fall 2016

Department

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Roger Beardsley

Second Committee Member

Charles Pringle

Third Committee Member

Dr. Craig Johnson

Abstract

During the course of this project, a solar thermal collector and supporting stand were designed and manufactured to be used during Mechanical Engineering Technology labs. Students will be able to use the collector to heat water, with the sun being the only heat source. The collector was designed by calculating surface area limitations, estimated solar input, and desired efficiency, to find the required water flow rate. From there, the necessary pipe lengths and diameters were determined, and the solar thermal collector was constructed. Two pipe paths were manufactured: a curved path, and a manifold path. Students will be able to test the difference in efficiency between the two paths, with the potential for other forms of manipulation and experimentation. This report will show the results of the heating capacity and efficiency of the collector at varying solar inputs.

Recommended Citation

Tickner, Hazel and Nakamura, Tyson, "Solar Thermal Collector" (2016). All Undergraduate Projects. 5.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/undergradproj/5

Comments

Senior Project Web Page: http://hazeltickner.wix.com/cwu-met