Comparison ALTEK SC-LH1-30 vs ALTEK SC-LH3-30

The method of installation of the collector.

It is worth noting that all solar collectors are designed for installation at an angle to the horizon. It is due to this that it is possible to achieve the angle of the sun's rays will be as close as possible to the perpendicular — and the efficiency of the device will be close to maximum. Therefore, both horizontal and inclined models are essentially installed in the same position — inclined; the difference between these options is that what serves as a support for the collector. See the relevant paragraphs for details.

— Inclined. Collectors are designed for installation on a special frame. Thanks to this frame, the absorbing surface is located at the right angle to the horizon, while the frame itself is designed for installation on a flat horizontal surface. If you plan to place the collector on such a surface — for example, on a flat roof or the ground next to the house — it is worth paying attention to inclined models.

— Horizontal. Horizontal devices are devices that are not equipped with stands and, in general, are not designed to use stands. Such collectors are laid directly on the roof surface, while the required angle of inclination is ensured solely by the slope of the surface. Accordingly, the main scope of horizontal models are houses with sloping roofs, where it is impossible to install an inclined collector. The di...sadvantage of this option is that the angle of the device directly depends on the angle of the roof.

— Universal. Collectors that can be installed both horizontally and inclined way. For more information about these options, see the corresponding paragraphs, and their combination in one model allows the user to choose the best option, depending on the situation. However, such versatility is not cheap, and it is rarely required — a solar collector is usually purchased based on a strictly defined installation site, and with the choice of a specialized option (inclined or horizontal), usually, there are no problems. As a result, such models are extremely rare. Also, note that the frame may not be included and will need to be purchased separately.

This category includes solar collectors that can be used throughout the year — including in winter, at sub-zero air temperatures. The only condition for the effective operation of such a device is the presence of sunlight.

The main distinguishing feature of such models is a high degree of thermal insulation, designed not only to reduce heat loss but also to protect the heat carrier circulating inside from freezing. In most of these devices, thermal insulation is provided by vacuum (note that these can be not only vacuum but also improved flat collectors — see "Type" for more details). In addition, the principle of indirect heating is often used in year-round collectors: antifreeze with a freezing point well below zero plays the role of a heat carrier, and the heated water receives heat through the heat exchanger wall. However, modern technologies make it possible to make frost-resistant devices with direct heating.

The convenience of collectors of this type is obvious, but they are not cheap.

The total area of the collector. If there are several collectors in the kit, this indicator is given for one device.

The total area determines, first of all, the dimensions of the collector and the amount of space required for its installation. In this case, if we are talking about horizontal placement (see "Mounting"), then the total area of the collector will correspond to the area of the space that it will occupy after installation. But with inclined installation, the base of the entire structure occupies a slightly smaller area — this is due to the specifics of the installation.

It is worth talking about the total area and aperture area. The practical specs of a solar collector are determined primarily by its aperture area, for more details on it, see the relevant paragraph. At the same time, in flat models (see “Type”), the aperture area will inevitably be less than the total. But in tubular models, it can be the other way around — in some cases, the aperture surface area of all tubes may exceed the total area of the device itself. There is nothing strange in this, such a phenomenon is associated with the geometric features of the design.

The type of tubes used in the design of the solar collector — vacuum or thermosiphon (see "Type").

— Coaxial vacuum direct heating. The simplest type of vacuum tube: is a hollow absorber tube enclosed in a glass vacuum tube. Such a tube has double walls, between which there is a vacuum, which provides the necessary degree of thermal insulation. And the term "direct heating" means that the heat carrier circulates directly in the inner tube, receiving heat through contact with the walls of the absorber.

The main advantages of direct heating tubes are simplicity and low cost. It is considered that they are poorly suited for year-round collectors. However, modern technologies allow for a very high degree of thermal insulation, due to which year-round systems of this type are also available on the market today. The situation is similar with the use in closed systems (see "Loop system"): direct heating elements are somewhat less suitable for such an application than more advanced vacuum tubes (like a heat pipe). Nevertheless, in addition to open ones, there are also closed systems with direct heating. However, the disadvantage of this option anyway is the relatively low efficiency.

— Coaxial vacuum heat pipes. The outer shell in such an element is glass, with double walls and a vacuum between them (like a thermos), but the inner part is just a heat pipe — a sealed flask (usually copper) filled with a special medium liquid with a low evaporation t...emperature. The upper part of this tube is led into the manifold (heat exchanger case), it has an enlarged size and plays the role of a radiator. The whole system works as follows: sunlight heats the heat pipe, and heating medium vapours rise to its upper part, where they condense and transfer heat through the radiator walls to the water moving along the manifold. The condensate flows back to the bottom of the heat pipe, after which the process is repeated.

Coaxial tubes with a heat pipe are more complex in design than direct heating systems, and, naturally, are more expensive. On the other hand, they are more efficient and can be used without restrictions in high-pressure closed collectors, as well as all-weather systems. In addition, devices with this principle of operation are easy to repair: if one of the tubes breaks, you do not need to change the entire manifold — just replace the tube itself. This does not cause any particular difficulties and can be carried out directly at the installation site, without dismantling the entire structure.

— Coaxial vacuum U-type. Vacuum tubes equipped with U-shaped heat exchangers. Such a heat exchanger has the form of a thin pipeline passing from the manifold body along the entire length of the tube and back; the pipeline is usually shaped like the letter U, hence the name. The manifold itself, usually, is made two-pipe: cold water enters the collector through one pipe (the inputs of U-shaped heat exchangers are connected to it), and the heated water is discharged through the other (the outlets of the heat exchangers are connected to it).

Such a design allows to achieve high efficiency rates in combination with excellent thermal insulation: water does not come into direct contact with the walls of the absorber, which is especially important when used in cold weather. And with the use of U-type tubes in closed systems (see "Loop system"), there are no problems either. Among the drawbacks, in addition to the rather high cost, one can name high hydrodynamic resistance and sensitivity to the quality of the heating medium. In addition, such collectors are difficult to repair: the pipes and manifold are a single unit, and to fix problems it is often necessary to remove the entire structure from the roof, and it is impossible to replace a single pipe. — Feather vacuum tubes. Feather vacuum tubes are a kind of modification of heat pipe systems (see the relevant paragraph). In them, the heat pipe is placed not in the inner tube, but on a flat absorber, and the whole structure is installed inside a glass flask from which the air is evacuated. Feather systems are highly efficient because the absorber does not heat the air inside the flask, but transfers almost all the energy to the heating medium; however, they are not cheap. In addition, such systems are quite difficult to install, and if the tube fails, it will inevitably have to be changed entirely (although there are usually no problems with the replacement itself). It is also worth noting that feather tubes are more dependent on the angle of incidence of light than devices with a traditional round absorber.

The total number of tubes provided in the design of the solar collector (vacuum or thermosyphon, see "Type").

This parameter largely depends on the area of the device: for a large collector, more tubes are required. However, there is no hard dependence here. Devices of similar size may differ in the number of tubes. In general, this parameter is quite specific, it is used in some formulas for calculating the required collector power.

The maximum pressure of the heating medium for which the collector is designed. This parameter is indicated only for closed models (see "Loop system") — by definition, open models operate at atmospheric pressure.

The maximum pressure allowed for the collector must not be lower than the operating pressure in the heating system (DHW, heating, etc.) to which it is planned to be connected. And ideally, you should choose a device with a pressure margin of at least 15 – 20% — this will give an additional guarantee in case of various failures and malfunctions.

Collector efficiency.

Initially, the term "efficiency" refers to a characteristic that describes the overall efficiency of the device — in other words, this coefficient indicates how much of the energy supplied to the device (in this case, solar) goes to useful work (in this case, heating the medium). However, in the case of solar collectors, the actual efficiency depends not only on the properties of the device itself but also on environmental conditions and some features of operation. Therefore, the specs usually indicate the maximum value of this parameter — the so-called optical efficiency, or "efficiency at zero heat loss." It is denoted by the symbol η₀ and depends solely on the properties of the device itself — namely, the absorption coefficient α, the glass transparency coefficient t and the efficiency of heat transfer from the absorber to the coolant Fr. In turn, the real efficiency (η) is calculated for each specific situation using a special formula that takes into account the temperature difference inside and outside the collector, the density of solar radiation entering the device, as well as special heat loss coefficients k1 and k2. Anyway, this indicator will be lower than the maximum — at least because the temperatures inside and outside the device will inevitably be different (and the higher this difference, the higher the heat loss).

Nevertheless, it is most convenient to evaluate the specs of a solar collector and compare it with oth...er models precisely by the maximum efficiency: under the same practical conditions (and with the same values of the coefficients k1 and k2), a device with a higher efficiency will be more efficient than a device with a lower one. .

In general, higher efficiency values allow to achieve the corresponding efficiency, while the collector area can be relatively small (which, accordingly, also has a positive effect on dimensions and price). This parameter is especially important if the device is planned to be used in the cold season, in an area with a relatively small amount of sunlight, or if there is not much space for the collector and it is impossible to use a large-area device. On the other hand, to increase efficiency, specific design solutions are required — and they just complicate and increase the cost of the design. Therefore, when choosing according to this indicator, it is worth considering the features of the use of the collector. For example, if the device is bought for a summer residence in the southern region, where it is planned to visit only in summer, relatively little water is required and there are no problems with sunny weather — you can not pay much attention to efficiency.

The material from which the frame of the solar collector is made (vacuum or thermosiphon — see "Type").

The collector is installed on the frame at the desired angle to the horizon. The main options for this structural element are aluminium alloys and steel; aluminium is somewhat lighter but, at the same, time more expensive, and heavier steel is considered more durable. However, there is no particular difference between these materials; anyway, they are quite strong and corrosion resistant — so much so that the frame life span often exceeds the life span of the collector itself. Note, that for several reasons aluminium is found mainly in vacuum models, and steel in thermosiphon ones.