A solar storage tank is an insulated water tank. Cold water from your regular water heater enters, and solar-heated water exits. In closed-loop systems the water is heated by contact with a coil of pipe containing water or antifreeze that circulates through the collectors. In open-loop systems the water is directly circulated through the collectors. The solar preheated water is then plumbed back to the cold side of the water heater, which now functions as a backup heater. When a hot-water tap is opened, preheated water is moved from the solar tank to the backup heater.
Water Pump
The water within a system has to move by some means, either by a natural method (convection, gravity, natural pressure) or by mechanical pump (or circulator). An AC (plug-in) or DC (photovoltaic) pump can be used to move water or antifreeze between the collector and the storage tank. The size of the pump depends on the distance and elevation difference between the collector and the tank. Mechanical pumps are not used in passive systems (batch and thermosiphon systems).
Heat Exchanger
This is a device used in closed-loop systems to transfer heat from one fluid to another without mixing the fluids. In storage tanks, some heat exchangers |
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