Wind-Induced Heat Losses From Solar Collector Arrays on Flat-Roofed Buildings

Abstract

This paper presents data for convective heat transfer coefficients on the front surface of a free-standing array of solar collectors mounted on the flat roof of a low warehouse-type building and exposed to the wind. The data were obtained by testing a 1:36 scale model in highly turbulent nonuniform flows which simulated the natural wind. For typical full scale conditions, the heat transfer coefficients are substantially lower than those given by a commonly used correlation. The coefficients are only mildly sensitive to wind direction, location of the array on the roof and characteristics of the wind.