Air heating solar collectors - Test methods

1.1

This Standard specifies a set of technical requirements, test methods, and repeatable test conditions for air heating solar collectors. It also covers operating, performance, and marking requirements.

 

1.2

This Standard applies to glazed and unglazed air heating solar collectors used for converting solar radiation into thermal energy by heating air flowing through the collector. It covers only solar collectors with an aperture area of not less than 1.5 m2. Typical applications for the air heating solar collectors covered by this Standard include their use in systems for direct space heating, combustion air heating, crop drying, and ventilation air pre-heating.

 

1.3

This Standard covers glazed and unglazed air heating solar collectors capable of being tested as independent units operated in open- or closed-loop systems with either positive or negative pressure applied.

 

It also applies to installation-dependent solar collectors such as those designed for site assembly, surface mounting, or rack mounting. This Standard does not address durability, reliability, and thermal performance testing of site-built collectors in their actual form; however, it does permit a module with comparable structure and a gross area of at least 4 m2 to be tested as a substitute for the site-built collector. If a substitute module is tested, the substitute module test results can be legitimately applied to modules of the same size as, or larger than, the tested substitute module.

 

1.4

This Standard is intended to apply to solar collectors that use air as a heat transfer medium including the following types of solar collectors:

 

(a) glazed closed-loop recirculated air heating solar collectors;

 

(b) unglazed closed-loop recirculated air heating solar collectors;

 

(c) glazed open-loop ambient air heating solar collectors; and

 

(d) unglazed open-loop ambient air heating solar collectors.

 

Solar air collectors constructed with more than one inlet and one outlet may be tested using the requirements of this Standard if the inlets and outlets can be structured so as to provide effectively a single outlet.

 

1.5

This Standard does not cover liquid heating solar collectors, concentrating collectors, or the installation or mounting of solar collectors; neither does it cover the tracking mechanism of sun-following collector systems nor any other part of a solar collecting system. This Standard does not cover all of the aspects of collectors that generate electricity, as well as heat air. However, the thermal aspects of these types of collectors may be evaluated in accordance with this Standard. For solar collectors that use liquid as a heat transfer medium see CSA F378.1.

 

1.6

Compliance of a glazed or unglazed air heating solar collector with this Standard may not completely define its suitability for an intended application. Specifically, this Standard

 

(a) does not define minimum values for the solar collector thermal efficiency;

 

(b) does not define thermal performance testing for solar collectors to be used in passive systems with convective circulation of the heat transfer medium;

 

(c) does not address the issue of solar collector array performance; and

 

(d) does not evaluate the suitability and durability of the materials used in solar collectors.

 

1.7

In CSA standards, shall is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; should is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and may is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the standard.

 

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

 

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

 

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (nonmandatory) to define their application.

 

1.8

The values given in SI units are the units of record for the purposes of this Standard. Any values given in parentheses are for information and comparison only.