Experimental investigation of a hybridized flat-plate solar collector/gas burner for low-carbon production of hot water – analysis of energy, exergy, and GHG emissions

Soleymani, Peyman, Saedodin, Seyfolah, Rostamian, Seyed Hadi and Karimi, Nader (2022) Experimental investigation of a hybridized flat-plate solar collector/gas burner for low-carbon production of hot water – analysis of energy, exergy, and GHG emissions. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 55, [102918]. (doi:10.1016/j.seta.2022.102918).

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel hybridized solar/combustion system for low-carbon production of hot water in residential sector. A prototype integrating a Flat Plat Solar Collector (FPSC) with a standard natural gas burner is built and tested extensively. This system operates in three different modes including solar, combustion, and hybridized mode of FPSC/combustion. The thermal and thermohydraulic performances of the FPSC are evaluated throughout the day. Further, exergy and energy analyses are performed for each mode of operation. It is observed that for solar operation the exergy destruction and entropy generation of the system are relatively low, yet they significantly increase when the burner is switched on. In addition, a comparison between a standard, natural gas burning, water heater with the capacity of 18000 kcal/h and the hybridized FPSC/combustion is made to estimate the reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. This reveals that the hybridized system can reduce the annual GHG emissions, associated with water heating, by over 52 %. This value can be pushed to nearly 100 %, if carbon–neutral fuels, such as biogas, are used in the burner. It is, finally, noted that simplicity of the hybridized system favors the economics and allows for its widespread usage.

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Contributors

Author: Nader Karimi

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