Wind loading of solar collector models

One of the key issues affecting the promotion of solar water heaters in Taiwan is the severe impact of typhoon each year. An experimental study was conducted to investigate the wind uplift characteristic of solar collector models (residential and commercial systems) with and without a guide plate. A residential system with a horizontal cylinder as water storage tank tends to reduce the suction force on the lower surface within the first half of the flat panel (solar collector). Stronger positive longitudinal differential pressure is observed for the test case of a commercial system (flat panel only), which corresponds to strong wind load on a solar collector. The guide plates with different length were adopted. A cavity formed between the guide plate and the tilt panel. Variations of longitudinal pressure distributions depend on the projected area of the guide plate on the tilt flat panel, which is also associated with the reduction in positive pressure action. The blockage effect is another concern. The uplift coefficient of a 40% scaled model is lower than that of a 60% scaled model, particularly at higher tilt angle of a solar collector.