In this work, we conducted a study of the performance of a solar thermosiphon solar water heater (SWH) during the rainy season. This system is installed in a private home in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (12˚19'12.4"N, 001˚27'00.1"W) and has been operating for 10 years. It consists of a flat collector with a surface area of 2 m 2 , a storage tank with a capacity of 200 liters and two hydraulic circuits (primary and secondary). The collector and the tank are each insulated with 15 cm thick glass wool. The overall objective of this work is to study the influence of the rainy season on the performance of the device. The methodology used is based on the acquisition and analysis of system operating data (temperatures and solar radiation) for 10 consecutive days. Finally, with the data obtained, the SWH efficiency was calculated. The results showed that the performance of the SWH is poor in the rainy season due not only to the variability of solar radiation but also to water infiltration into the collector. Furthermore, the duration of hot water production as well as the final temperatures reached in the tank depend on the intensity and the degree of variability of solar radiation. Finally, the results also showed that the storage tank is well insulated and that nighttime losses are relatively low.
KeywordsSolar Water HeaterThermosiphonSolar RadiationRainy SeasonEfficiency
Freegah, B. and Al-Tabbakh, A.A. (2019) Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a Thermosyphon Solar Water Heater for Domestic Applications. UPB Scientific Bulletin , Series D : Mechanical Engineering , 81, 117-132.
Lima, T.P., Dutra, J.C.C., Primo, A.R.M., Rohatgi, J. and Ochoa, A.A.V. (2015) Solar Water Heating for a Hospital Laundry: A Case Study. Solar Energy , 122, 737-748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2015.10.006
Nunayon, S.S. and Akanmu, W.P. (2022) Potential Application of a Thermosyphon Solar Water Heating System for Hot Water Production in Beauty Salons: A Thermo-Economic Analysis. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering , 32, Article 101881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2022.101881
Paul, A.W., Abiodun, O.E. and Segbenu, N.S. (2017) Feasibility of Thermosyphon Solar Water Heating System Utilization in Beauty and Hairdressing Salons in Nigeria. International Journal of Energy and Environmental Research , 5, 8-37.
Herez, A., Jaber, H., Hage, H.E., Lemenand, T., Chahine, K., Ramadan, M., et al . (2023) Solar Water Heating: Comprehensive Review, Critical Analysis and Case Study. Internati onal Journal of Thermofluids , 20, Article 100503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijft.2023.100503
Amal Herez, M., El Hage, K.H., Lemenand, T. and Ramadan, M. (2018) Review on Solar Water Heating System. International Conference on Emerging and Renewable Energy : Generation and Automation ICEREGA 2018, Sousse, 28-30 October 2018, 1-27.
Abas, N., Khan, N., Haider, A. and Saleem, M.S. (2017) A Thermosyphon Solar Water Heating System for Sub Zero Temperature Areas. Cold Regions Science and Technology , 143, 81-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2017.08.012
Ayompe, L.M. and Duffy, A. (2013) Analysis of the Thermal Performance of a Solar Water Heating System with Flat Plate Collectors in a Temperate Climate. Applied Thermal Engi neering , 58, 447-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2013.04.062
Jahangiri Mamouri, S. and Bénard, A. (2018) New Design Approach and Implementation of Solar Water Heaters: A Case Study in Michigan. Solar Energy , 162, 165-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2018.01.028
Hernández, E. and Guzmán, R.E. (2016) Comparison of Three Systems of Solar Water Heating by Thermosiphon. Journal of Physics : Conference Series , 687, Article 012007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/687/1/012007
Sakhrieh, A. and Al-Ghandoor, A. (2013) Experimental Investigation of the Performance of Five Types of Solar Collectors. Energy Conversion and Management , 65, 715-720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2011.12.038
Morrison, G.L., Tran, N.H., McKenzie, D.R., Onley, I.C., Harding, G.L. and Collins, R.E. (1984) Long Term Performance of Evacuated Tubular Solar Water Heaters in Sydney, Australia. Solar Energy , 32, 785-791. https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-092x(84)90253-6
Manikandan, J. and Sivaraman, B. (2015) Performance Studies on Solar Water Heater with Various Absorber Plate Geometries. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research , 10, 10911-10919.
Selvam, S., Prathap, A. and Sivarajan, D.C. (2019) A Review of Solar Water Heater Performance Factors. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology , 6, 2796-2802.
Basri, M.H., Jalaluddin, J., Tarakka, R., Syahid, M. and Ilahi Rahmadhani, M.A. (2023) Study of Modified Absorber Plate with Aluminium Foam of Solar Water Heating System. Applied Mechanics and Materials , 913, 45-51. https://doi.org/10.4028/p-u5qx47
Thamizhmaran, K., Thanigaivelan, V., Sivakumar, A., Subramanian, C. and Devakannan, P.C. (2024) Experimental Analysis in Solar Air Heater through Modified Absorber Plate. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology , 13, 1-4.
Selvakumar, P. and Somasundaram, P. (2016) Experimental Analysis on Solar Water Heater with Corrugated Absorber for Enhanced Heat Transfer. Journal of Thermal Energy System , 1, 8-19.
Billy, A.S., Shamshir Ali, T.Z., Zainudin, M.F. and Rosli, A.B. (2014) Experimental Study of Water Heating Efficiency between Aluminium and Copper Absorber Plate in Solar Flat Plate Collector. Applied Mechanics and Materials , 660, 709-713. https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.660.709
Das, P. and Chandramohan, V.P. (2022) A Review on Solar Updraft Tower Plant Technology: Thermodynamic Analysis, Worldwide Status, Recent Advances, Major Challenges and Opportunities. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments , 52, Article 102091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2022.102091
Tharamani, C.N. and Mayanna, S.M. (2007) Low-Cost Black Cu-Ni Alloy Coatings for Solar Selective Applications. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells , 91, 664-669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2006.12.004
Hutchins, M.G. (1979) Spectrally Selective Solar Absorber Coatings. Applied Energy , 5, 251-262. https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-2619(79)90016-3
Ding, Z., Qi, C., Wang, Y.X., Tu, J.L., Wang, C. and Du, X.P. (2022) Spectrally Selective Absorption Coatings and Their Applications: A Review. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments , 52, Article 102031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2022.102031
Sunu, P.W., Rahtika, P.G.S., Putra, D.G.A.T., et al . (2020) Preliminary Studies on Thermal Performance of Thermosyphon Solar Water Heating System. Advances in Engineering Research , 208, 273-277.
Shariah, A., Al-Akhras, M. and Al-Omari, I.A. (2002) Optimizing the Tilt Angle of Solar Collectors. Renewable Energy , 26, 587-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0960-1481(01)00106-9
Mendoza Orbegoso, E.M., Alcántara, J.A., Verástegui, L.J., Bengoa, J.C., Marcelo-Aldana, D., La Madrid Olivares, R., et al . (2025) Thermofluidics in Water-in-Glass Evacuated-Tube Solar Collectors Analysis Based on the Symmetry Conditions of Heat Flux and Tilt Angle. Symmetry , 17, Article 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym17010044
Mohammed, A.K., Hamakhan, I.A. and Weli, R.B. (2022) Effect of Collector Tilt Angle on the Performance of Solar Water Heating System in Erbil of Iraq. International Journal of Heat and Technology , 40, 1293-1298. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijht.400523
Albalushi, Z., Chala, G.T. and K.V., S. (2023) Performance Analysis of Solar Water Heater—A Case Study in Al Seeb, Oman. Platform : A Journal of Engineering , 7, 24-30. https://doi.org/10.61762/pajevol7iss4art25234
Bhowmik, H. and Amin, R. (2017) Efficiency Improvement of Flat Plate Solar Collector Using Reflector. Energy Reports , 3, 119-123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2017.08.002
Dave, A., Prajapati, S., Delvadia, Z. and Banker, N. (2023) Performance Study of Solar Water Heater Integrated with Reflectors to Enhance the Water Temperature. Proceedings of S olar World Congress 2023, New Delhi, 30 October-4 November, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.18086/swc.2023.06.01
Reda, S.M.A.M., Mutasher, D.G., Hasan, W.K., Majdi, H.S. and Alderoubi, N. (2024) Enhancing Thermal Efficiency in Solar Water Heaters: The Role of Reflective Walls. Mathematical Modelling of Engineering Problems , 11, 893-902. https://doi.org/10.18280/mmep.110406
Prasad, P.R., Byregowda, H. and Gangavati, P. (2010) Experiment Analysis of Flat Plate Collector and Comparison of Performance with Tracking Collector. European Journal of Scientific Research , 40, 144-155.
Abdelghani-Idrissi, M.A., Khalfallaoui, S., Seguin, D., Vernières-Hassimi, L. and Leveneur, S. (2018) Solar Tracker for Enhancement of the Thermal Efficiency of Solar Water Heating System. Renewable Energy , 119, 79-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.11.072
Jadhav, S.K., Patil, S.C., Pimple, H.J., Vaidya, N.A., et al . (2021) Development of Mechanical Tracking System for Solar Water Heater. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology , 8, 378-382.
Goetzberger, A., Dengler, J., Rommel, M., Göttsche, J. and Wittwer, V. (1992) A New Transparently Insulated, Bifacially Irradiated Solar Flat-Plate Collector. Solar Energy , 49, 403-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/0038-092x(92)90112-n
Groenhout, N.K., Morrison, G.L. and Behnia, M. (2001) Design of an Advanced Bifacial Solar Collector. SES 2001 Solar World Congress , Adelaide, 25-30 November 2001, 1-6.
Ozsoy, A. and Corumlu, V. (2018) Thermal Performance of a Thermosyphon Heat Pipe Evacuated Tube Solar Collector Using Silver-Water Nanofluid for Commercial Applications. Renewable Energy , 122, 26-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.01.031
Xu, Q., Yang, G., Jia, S., Wang, Z., Akkurt, N., Zhang, H., et al . (2022) Experimental Study on Synergistic Enhancement of Thermal Performance of a Closed Two-Phase Thermosyphon by a TiO 2 Nanofluid Doped with Al 2 O 3 . Case Studies in Thermal Engineering , 36, Article 102192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2022.102192
Kabeel, A.E., El-Said, E.M.S. and El-Agouz, S.A. (2017) A Theoretical Study of Cu-H 2 O Nano-Fluid Effect on Heat Transfer Enhancement of a Solar Water Heater. International Journal of Ambient Energy , 38, 286-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/01430750.2015.1086674
Hashim, W.M., Shomran, A.T., Jurmut, H.A., Gaaz, T.S., Kadhum, A.A.H. and Al-Amiery, A.A. (2018) Case Study on Solar Water Heating for Flat Plate Collector. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering , 12, 666-671. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2018.09.002
Shalaby, S.M., Kabeel, A.E., Moharram, B.M. and Fleafl, A.H. (2020) Experimental Study of the Solar Water Heater Integrated with Shell and Finned Tube Latent Heat Storage System. Journal of Energy Storage , 31, Article 101628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2020.101628
Mandal, S.K., Kumar, S., Singh, P.K., Mishra, S.K. and Singh, D.K. (2020) Performance Investigation of Nanocomposite Based Solar Water Heater. Energy , 198, Article 117295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117295
Ling, Z., Zeng, G., Xu, T., Fang, X. and Zhang, Z. (2015) Performance of a Coil-Pipe Heat Exchanger Filled with Mannitol for Solar Water Heating System. Energy Procedia , 75, 827-833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.08.001
Bouadila, S., Fteïti, M., Oueslati, M.M., Guizani, A. and Farhat, A. (2014) Enhancement of Latent Heat Storage in a Rectangular Cavity: Solar Water Heater Case Study. Energy Conversion and Management , 78, 904-912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2013.07.094
Rahmadhani, M.A.I., Jalaluddin, and Mochtar, A.A. (2024) Analysis of Solar Water Heater with Modification Absorber Plate Integrated Thermal Storage. Journal of Physics : Conference Series , 2739, Article 012004. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2739/1/012004
Liu, H.M., Wang, W., Zhao, Y.H. and Deng, Y.C. (2015) Field Study of the Performance for a Solar Water Heating System with MHPA-FPCs. Energy Procedia , 70, 79-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.02.101
Ferahta, F.Z. and Abid, C. (2018) Intensification of a Flat Solar Collector Efficiency. The European Physical Journal Applied Physics , 83, Article 30903. https://doi.org/10.1051/epjap/2018180160
Baig, M.M., Khan, M.A., Uddin, M.K.M., et al . (2017) Calculation and Fabrication of a Solar Flat Plate Collector Efficiency using Mild Steel as Absorber Plate. International Journal of Science Technology & Engineering , 3, 36-41.
Wenceslas Koholé, Y., Cyrille Vincelas Fohagui, F. and Tchuen, G. (2022) Flat-Plate Solar Collector Thermal Performance Assessment via Energy, Exergy and Irreversibility Analysis. Energy Conversion and Management : X , 15, Article 100247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2022.100247
Jalaluddin, Tarakka, R., Syahid, M., Basri, M.H. and Anis Ilahi Rahmadhani, M. (2023) Performance Investigation of Solar Water Heating System Using Flat-Plate Absorber Integrated with Thermal Storage. Cleaner Engineering and Technology , 17, Article 100696.