Improvement of solar flat‐plate collector performance by optimum tilt angle and minimizing top heat loss coefficient using particle swarm optimization.

In this paper, the efficient amounts of radiation received by a flat‐plate collector and top heat loss coefficient along with affecting parameters are investigated using measured data in different climates of Iran. Coded program in MATLAB software is then distributed to calculate the optimum tilt angle for extracting the highest solar radiation in different months of the year for five cities of Iran with different geographic latitudes. An optimal annual slope is obtained for maximum utilization and for conditions where the collector can only be adjusted at an angle during the year. Using an interpolation, an equation has been derived for obtaining the optimal tilt angle of collector for areas with latitude between 27° and 37°. Inasmuch as the top heat loss coefficient is required for evaluating the thermal performance of solar collectors, the value for different temperatures is obtained at ambient temperature up to 200°C for the absorber plate. Effects of key parameters such as collector slope, number of covers, wind speed, emittance coefficient of adsorption plate, and cover spacing on top heat loss coefficient are investigated. In the end, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is employed to minimize the top heat loss coefficient. The minimum amount of top heat loss coefficient is obtained with the amount of 0.99 W/m2K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]