METHODS OF TESTING TO DETERMINE THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF SOLAR COLLECTORS.

The purpose of this standard is to provide test methods for determining the thermal performance of solar energy collector modules (hereinafter called solar collectors) which heat fluids for use in thermal systems. This standard applies to non-concentrating and concentrating solar collectors in which a fluid enters the collector through a single inlet and leaves the collector through a single outlet. Collectors containing more than one inlet and more than one outlet may be tested according to this standard provided that the external piping or ducting can be connected so as to provide effectively a single inlet and a single outlet. The heat transfer fluid (hereinafter called the transfer fluid) may be either a liquid or a gas but not a mixture of the two phases. This standard contains methods for conducting tests outdoors under natural solar irradiation and for conducting tests indoors under simulated solar irradiation. This standard provides test methods and calculation procedures for determining steady state and quasisteady state thermal performance, time constants and angular response characteristics of solar collectors.