Cost-Benefit Analysis and Numerical Assessment of a Retractable Protection System for Solar Water Heaters Under Extreme Weather Conditions

A retractable mechanical system will be developed for protecting solar tube water heaters from environmental extremes. Solar water heaters provide an excellent method for capturing solar energy but due to being exposed constantly to harsh environmental elements such as extreme temperatures, hail, wind, solar radiation, etc., they can experience thermal stagnation and overheat. The goal of this research is to create a simple, inexpensive and easily implemented retractable mechanical system to help protect solar tube water heaters and extend their lifespan. Quantitative studies with a descriptive scope and a technological development approach were carried out on the design and testing of a protective system for solar tube water heaters. This research utilized the FIRMA methodology (Foundation, Identification, Realization, Modeling, and Assessment), which includes a literature review, computer aided design (CAD) using Solidworks software, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and simulation of fluids using SOLIDWORKS Flow simulation. The simulation results demonstrated that the system fulfills the projected function. The finite element structural analysis (FEA) reported a maximum Von Mises stress of 38 MPa and a safety factor of 7.26, well above the recommended minimum of 1.5. The thermal model demonstrated that the system reduces the collector's stagnation temperature by 42.3% with partial deployment, eliminating the risk of overheating and water boiling. The estimated selling price is $4,500 MXN, with a payback period of approximately 2 years, which demonstrates its economic feasibility and its potential to extend the useful life of solar heaters. As future stages, analyses with prototyping under real conditions are projected for subsequent validation and automation through electronic systems.