MATHEMATICAL MODELLING, NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND PARAMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF TRI-COLORED SOLAR THERMAL FLAT-PLATE COLLECTORS FOR TROPICAL CLIMATE

The use of non-renewable energy, especially petroleum, has cascading effects that led to the adoption of renewable energy, especially solar energy. One method of using solar energy is through the use of Solar Flat-Plate Collectors (SFPC). Flat-plate solar thermal collectors are often black in appearance due to the hue of the absorbing material, which is used to enhance solar spectrum collection. However, 85% of architects prefer non-black solar collectors, irrespective of their effects on the performance of the system. This study considers the effects of tri-colored SFPC as compared with the black ones. The results show that for three tri-colored collectors, the efficiency could reach as high as 63.57%, just as 16.75% lower than the usual black ones having 80.32% efficiency. This little difference of the tri-colored with the black ones is considerably acceptable especially if we consider their integrations, compatibility with the architectural design and to break away from the dullness of the color black, aesthetically preferable in order to attain a desirable outcome that is both architecturally and visually appealing, as well as aesthetically pleasing and technical integration.