PERFORMANCE OF SOLAR COLLECTORS UNDER MONGOLIAN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS: COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND PRELIMINARY SIMULATION RESULTS

Abstract

In this paper the experimental performance of a solar circuit composed of four series-connected evacuated tubes solar collectors operating under the climatic conditions of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) during October 2015 and April 2016 are presented and discussed in detail. The measured data are analyzed in terms of recovered thermal energy as well as thermal efficiency in order to assess the potential of solar energy exploitation under harsh cold conditions. The measurements are also compared against the results of a simulation model developed by using the dynamic simulation software TRNSYS with the main aim of assessing its feasibility in accurately predicting the experimental values. A percentage difference between simulated and measured daily efficiency in the range from -5.8% and 11.7%, allowing to conclude that the model is able to simulate the thermal behaviour of the solar collectors and, therefore, it can be used to assess the applicability of the solar thermal system under different operating conditions and scenarios.