Parabolic Trough Solar Collector water heater 4

Thanks to Duane Johnson at RedRok.com for instructing us how to properly orient a dual axis collector. Now we have the frame doing the daily motion instead of the troughs.

Also Inspiration from George Plhak and Daniel Rojas (GreenPowerScience), this Parabolic Trough Solar Water Heater is to be one in a bank of four to heat

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Solar
• Collector
• Trough
• Parabolic
• Water
• Heater
• Andrew
• Ancel
• Gray
• Duane
• Johnson

[bagoodtube]

let's make boiling water more complex... and use nukes

[ancelgray]

@bagoodtube bagoo,  Yeah, a little "mini-reactor" nuclear water heater for the home scientist would be really cool, eh? I wonder if it would be legal? Andrew Ancel Gray

[scott98390]

So are you reversing the flow of the water at noon? It seems to me that you're going to be pumping hot water downhill for half the day ... and hot water wants to go up, not down.

[ancelgray]

Scott,

Well, we are only tilting the frame in the "opposite direction" at noon.

The water flow stays in the same direction through all the piping.

Of course, it "runs "uphill" in frame some times, and "downhill" at

other times, but the flow direction stays the same in the tubes.

Andrew Ancel Gray

[ancelgray]

@scott98390 Scott, Well it does not matter if water flows "uphill" for part of its journey if the pipes are full, because then there must be a section of the pipe where the water is flowing downhill too. So the pressure of this water pushing downward balances the pump pressure pushing the water upward, and the pump ends up not having to do any work moving water against gravity. Only the pipe friction must be overcome by the pump if the pipes are full. Andrew Ancel Gray

[ancelgray]

I am controlling the tracking with a PC engines ALIX-1D (12 Volt embedded) computer board. The equation of time and the instantaneous solar position must be calculated in software in order to move the collectors perpendicular to the suns rays. I have an inclinometer on the frame (for 1 axis) and an optical encoder on the troughs (for the other axis). I will be sharing all the details after I get the bugs worked out! Andrew Ancel Gray

[ancelgray]

Yes, high winds are a problem here in Texas. That is why the frame is built rugged from steel. When I put it on the roof of my house, the uprights will be made from 4" galvanized steel pipe, which is also very rugged. I also increased the number of cross braces in my troughs. The troughs have a cross brace every 12" instead of every 16" like George Phlak used.

[kbrigsby61]

WOW!! I'm impressed!!

[markerbull]

How do you protect this from high winds and how does it automatically track? I am really glad there are more people like yourself out there pioneering this. Much respect

[ancelgray]

@chemcat92much4u Does this answer your question?