DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A PORTABLE SOLAR WATER HEATER, A CASE STUDY OF BWAKE SECONDARY SCHOOL BUNGOMA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

This project presents the design and performance evaluation of a solar water heater (SWH) using thermo siphon principles, thereby eliminating the use of an electric water pump and reducing the cost of the entire system. Many phenomena are encouraging the application of solar water heating technology such as; electric power outages, high fuel prices, rapid urbanization, low cost of installations, and governmental intervention. Therefore, there is a need to encourage innovation in the field of solar technology. The design of this system was done using relevant equations to obtain the required dimensions of the various components of the system. The materials were selected based on design calculations, machining, availability, and material cost. During the testing process, the first three days of testing the highest outlet temperature recorded was 650C. For the last three days of testing during the dry season, the highest outlet temperature recorded was 79.3 0C. The results showed that the system performs better during the dry season when the irradiance levels are higher. The highest irradiance recorded was 940 W/m2 on the sixth day of testing. The highest efficiency recorded from the system was 68.19% on the fourth day of testing. It is at this moment recommended that a sensor and a flow meter should be installed to determine the water level