Projects / Mechanical / Project 1

Solar Parabolic Trough Water Heater with Efficiency Testing

Approx. component budget: Rs. 11,000 - 15,000

Objective

Measure thermal efficiency at different flow rates and times of day, and compare against a plain tube / flat-plate baseline.

What you will build

A 1.5-2 m parabolic trough (GI sheet frame with reflective film), copper absorber tube, manual single-axis tracking, insulated storage tank, small DC pump and thermocouples.

Results you can expect

• Efficiency vs flow-rate curve
• Temperature gain of water
• Comparison with baseline
• Effect of tracking

What you will learn

Heat transfer, solar geometry, instrumentation and data logging. Useful for energy and HVAC roles.

Tools and notes

Excel/Python for analysis, Arduino + temperature sensors (optional).

Resume points from this project

• Built and tested Solar Parabolic Trough Water Heater with Efficiency Testing; objective: measure how efficiently a curved solar reflector heats water at different flow rates and times of day, and compare it with a plain tube.
• Measured and analysed efficiency vs flow-rate curve and Temperature gain of water over the day; wrote the report and presented the results in a viva. Add your own numbers: [x].

Replace [x] with your own measured results. Write only what you really did.

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