One of the serious drawbacks of installing air solar collectors is that for supplying hot air from them to the room, it is necessary to make holes in the wall of the house. Therefore, the installation of an air solar collector can only be allowed by the owners of private houses, but even many of them are confused by the fact of creating holes in the outer wall. To avoid this, the author decided to make a solar collector right in the window opening.
Materials and tools that were used by the author to create this model of a solar collector for heating air:
1) thick plywood
2) jigsaw
3) 12v fans
4) foil
5) black heat resistant paint
6) aluminum plates
7) a curtain or a piece of quality fabric for external decor.
8) temperature regulator for incubators.
Consider in more detail the stages of creating this air collector, as well as the main pros and cons of its use.
Since the design of solar air collectors is very flexible, the author decided that it is possible to make a collector that is perfect for heating an apartment. To do this, the solar collector must be placed directly in the window opening. It is important to consider that the windows of the apartment in which the author decided to install the collector face south, and therefore they will be exposed to the sun.
Since the author has several windows in the room where the solar collector will be placed, he decided to install one of them and it was decided to install the collector. If you have only one window, so that the room is not dark and does not spend additional electricity on lighting, the author recommends installing a solar collector in only half of the window opening.
To achieve the greatest efficiency of the solar collector, as you know. it must be placed at right angles to the sun. However, the trajectory of the sun in winter, when there is a need for heating, is quite low above the horizon. This allows you to install the solar collector vertically.
For easier understanding, the following is a diagram of the trajectory of the sun in winter and summer:
And here is a diagram of the operation of the solar air collector:
The body of the collector, as in most cases, was made of sheets of thick plywood. The author decided to cover the inside of the box with layers of foil, this will reflect sunlight on aluminum plates, thereby increasing the temperature inside the collector box.
Then the author proceeded to install aluminum plates in the collector body. The author nevertheless decided to arrange pieces of metal that would serve as an absorber in the collector at a slight angle so that the rays of the sun would fall on them at a right angle in any season. Therefore, the plates were slightly curved. Since the window is wide enough and divided into two parts by a partition, the author decided to place the plates accordingly.
After installing the plates, the author made two holes in each of the two parts of the solar collector. Since hot air rises, the lower holes will serve to supply cold air inside, and through the upper air heated in the manifold will flow back into the room.
To increase the heating efficiency of the solar collector, the author painted its inner surface with black heat-resistant paint.
In order to ensure constant air circulation through the collector, the author installed 12 V fans in the upper holes. Such fans are used in the system units by a computer, so they can be purchased at any computer store. To automate the process of turning fans on and off, the author connected the simplest temperature regulator for incubators to them. Thus, when the air temperature inside the collector reaches 30 degrees, the fans turn on and supply it to the room.
Then the author proceeded to decorative improvements of this collector so that he would not spoil the interior of the room with his appearance. For these purposes, the author took a piece of fabric that was suitable in appearance and size, which he attached to the outside of the collector, not forgetting to make cuts for air holes. Thus, a kind of curtain turned out that closes the collector.
After that, the collector was installed directly in the window frame and set to work. On sunny days, he will perfectly heat the room through the use of solar thermal energy. In the future, the author plans to connect a solar panel to the air collector, from which the fans and thermostat will be powered, which will fully ensure the work of the collector due to solar energy.
The main advantages of a window solar collector are:
1) The opportunity to save on heating a private house, additional heating of the apartment, especially in the transition season, when it is already colder, but the heating is still not turned on.
2) This model does not need to create additional technological holes for the collector system.
3) Since in this case there is no need to insulate and glaze the collector, this model It turns out much cheaper than similar standard air collectors.
4) This collector model has the ability to easily dismantle it. Therefore, in the summer months or during long cloudy weather, it can be stored in the pantry.
However, it has its drawbacks:
1) Since the collector is in the window frame, it reduces the amount of sunlight entering the room.
2) The window area is not particularly large, so due to the small size of the collector will have a low power.