Abstract

The technology ofsolar water heating is an emerging field in Nigeria. Due to the epileptic power supply in Nigeria, other energy sources are being sought. This project involves the design and fabrication of a portable solar water heater. The design of the solar water heater was done using relevant equations to size the major components ofthe system. The materials for the components were then selected with consideration to the design calculations, machinability, market availability and cost ofthe materials. The system wasthen constructed using the selected materials. The system • consists of a buffer tank, an insulated storage tank of 10-litre capacity, a flat-plate collector with a single layer ofglass on top, and a flow channel arranged in a serpentine manner. The thermosyphon principle was applied to the system. The system was tested for six days, the first three days of ; testing the solar water heater without a thermal collector and the last three days was for testing the solar water heater with thermal energy collector. From the first three days of testing without the thermal energy collector, the highest outlet temperature recorded was 51.3 °C. For the last three days of testing during the dry season, the highest outlet temperature recorded was 72 °C. This difference clearly shows that the system performed better when the thermal energy collector was installed. The highest efficiency recorded from the system was 68.19% on the fourth day oftesting. The highest irradiance level of 1074.0 W/m2 was observed on day six, the highest outlet temperature of 72 °C was also observed on the same day and at the same time. The highest rise in outlet temperature was observed on day four with a temperature rise of 47.1 °C between ten am and noon. It is noteworthy that day three had the lowest irradiance levels. The highest efficiency ■ gotten from the system was 98% on day four at 3:15pm. The highest thermal energy dissipation was recorded from 4:15pm to 5:45pm at day four.