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