@article{SummEhrenwirthTrinkletal.2023, author = {Summ, Thorsten and Ehrenwirth, Mathias and Trinkl, Christoph and Z{\"o}rner, Wilfried and Pischow, Kaj and Greenough, Richard and Oyinlola, Muyiwa}, title = {Effect of argon concentration on thermal efficiency of gas-filled insulating glass flat-plate collectors}, volume = {2023}, pages = {120657}, journal = {Applied Thermal Engineering}, number = {230, Part A}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1873-5606}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.120657}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Insulating glass flat-plate collectors can save cost by being produced quickly and automatically in insulated glass production facilities, and they can be filled with argon to reduce heat loss. During its lifetime, the collector is likely to lose argon because of gradual material degradation of the sealing. However, information on the influence of the argon concentration on the collector efficiency is limited. Therefore, the objective of this research work was to analyse this effect. A theoretical material property calculation of argon-air mixtures was carried out to determine the convective losses with variable argon concentrations. Thermal collector performance was measured experimentally using an outdoor solar tracker test rig. The results strongly suggest, that the influence of argon concentration on both the convective losses and the thermal efficiency is non-linear. The measurements revealed that an argon concentration of 90 \% can increase average thermal performance by 6.7 ± 4.8 percentage points. An increase in argon concentration from 0 \% to 50 \% has almost twice the effect on average thermal efficiency as an increase from 50 \% to 90 \%. Concluding from these results, an argon leakage threshold of 2.5 percentage points per year is proposed to avoid disproportionate loss of efficiency over time.}, language = {en} } @article{SummOyinlolaKhattaketal.2024, author = {Summ, Thorsten and Oyinlola, Muyiwa and Khattak, Sanober and Ehrenwirth, Mathias and Trinkl, Christoph and Z{\"o}rner, Wilfried}, title = {Towards maximum cost-effectiveness: multi-objective design optimisation of insulating glass flat-plate collectors}, volume = {2025}, pages = {124594}, journal = {Applied Thermal Engineering}, number = {258}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1359-4311}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124594}, year = {2024}, abstract = {A significant challenge in the advancement of solar thermal heating systems lies in the unexplored techno-economic potential of insulating glass flat-plate collectors. These collectors are constructed in accordance with the specifications of standard insulating glass units and have emerged over the past decade as a promising design concept for enhancing the cost-effectiveness of solar thermal systems. However, substantial findings regarding the techno-economic viability of their production are still pending. The aim of this paper is to optimise insulating glass collector designs for solar district heating applications by identifying key design parameters that maximise cost-effectiveness. This study employed a five-stage methodology. It included thermo-hydraulic collector modelling using MATLAB/Simscape and the CARNOT Toolbox. The model was validated against experimental performance tests. A Latin hypercube computational design with 250,000 samples was set up to train supervised machine learning metamodels and perform a multi-objective optimisation using an elitist genetic algorithm. The study identified the argon concentration, collector length, and width as critical parameters influencing efficiency. Larger, thinner collectors demonstrated superior performance due to reduced convective losses and increased aperture-to-surface ratios. The optimisation revealed that the insulating glass collectors could achieve a 7.7 percentage point increase in efficiency, a 19.4 \% reduction in material cost, and a 14.5 \% decrease in weight compared to market-available flat-plate collectors. However, the direct economic comparison was not considered strong in evidence due to a lack of economic data from technology providers. The most cost-effective designs featured an argon concentration of 99 \%, sealing thickness of 31.2 mm, and a glazing thickness of 4.1 mm, and 4.5 mm, while collector length and width varied more significantly. The research findings indicate the techno-economic potential of insulating glass collectors, demonstrating their ability to outperform conventional flat-plate collectors in terms of cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Future studies should focus on producing and testing larger modules and incorporating production costs to fully realise their potential for solar district heating applications. This study provides valuable guidelines for IGU designers and producers aiming to develop cost-effective and efficient solar thermal collectors for district heating systems.}, language = {en} } @article{SummOyinlolaKhattaketal.2023, author = {Summ, Thorsten and Oyinlola, Muyiwa and Khattak, Sanober and Trinkl, Christoph and Z{\"o}rner, Wilfried}, title = {Statistical analysis of solar thermal collectors in the Solar Keymark Database}, volume = {2024}, pages = {103581}, journal = {Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments}, number = {61}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2213-1396}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2023.103581}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Experimental, analytical, or numerical investigations are ordinarily conducted to reveal optimisation potential for solar thermal collectors. At the same time, the 'Solar Keymark Database' contains more than 2,000 test reports from certified laboratories featuring properties including thermal efficiency, dimensions, or optical properties. This dataset offers untapped potential for statistical analyses as an alternative optimisation approach. Hence, this paper aims to provide a) the first statistical findings of solar thermal collector properties listed in the Solar Keymark Database and b) insights into statistical relations between these properties. The key correlations observed from the analysis of flat-plate collectors were between efficiency and both gross height (R = 0.30) and gross area (R = 0.27). We concluded that preferable collector designs may be featured with larger area to height ratios. The analyses of evacuated tube collectors revealed a strong correlation between efficiency and transversal incidence angle modifier (R = -0.65) as a result from different tube spacing. It was noticeable that the quasi-dynamic test method reported significantly higher efficiencies (7.14 percentage points) for evacuated tube collectors, which should be carefully considered for future test procedures. Overall, the statistical analysis was in accordance with conventional bottom-up analyses and revealed insightful dependencies for the present collector data.}, language = {en} }