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Basic Knowledge of Solar Thermal Systems


Solar collector: A device that absorbs solar radiation and transfers the resulting thermal energy to a heat-transfer fluid. Classification: By type of heat-transfer fluid used in the collector—liquid collectors and air collectors.

Solar collector: A device that absorbs solar radiation and transfers the resulting thermal energy to a heat-transfer fluid. Classification: By type of heat-transfer fluid used in the collector—liquid collectors and air collectors.

According to whether the collector tracks the sun, collectors are classified as: tracking collectors and non-tracking collectors. According to whether there is a vacuum space inside the collector, collectors are classified as: evacuated-tube collectors and flat-plate collectors. According to the operating temperature range of the collector, collectors are classified as: low-temperature, medium-temperature, and high-temperature collectors.

The installation structure of vacuum-tube solar collectors is divided into:

1) All-glass vacuum tube solar collector

2) Glass-metal structured vacuum tube solar collector

3) Heat-pipe vacuum tube solar collector

Glass-metal structural vacuum tube solar collectors are further divided into:

1) Glass-to-metal sealed heat pipe vacuum tube solar collector

2) U-tube vacuum tube solar collectors and flat-plate solar collectors mainly consist of several components, including an absorber plate, a transparent cover plate, an insulation layer, and an outer casing. A hot-water system composed of flat-plate solar collectors is referred to as a flat-plate solar thermal system.