comparative analysis of thermal performance of a solar water heating system based on the serpentine and risers-head configurations

The effect of solar collector configurations on the thermal efficiency of an active solar water heater was investigated using trnsys in this study. two versions of a solar heater were formulated on the basis of serpentine and riser-header flat plate configurations. both models were simulated based on the same parameters and weather conditions. besides, in accordance with clear sky and cloudy sky conditions, a parametric analysis was performed to determine the impact of varying parameters on the thermal efficiency of the two models. the results showed that the serpentine-based device model provided about 2.62 % more usable thermal energy than the riser-header configuration. in addition, both models demonstrated the same response and sensitivity to changes in the collector area and the volume of the tank. however, on a cloudy day, the efficiency of serpentine showed a significant improvement and sensitivity to flow variance with an efficiency gap of about 30 % to the riser header configuration.