Title: Unit 6 Overview
Course: REEC 220 Solar Thermal Systems > Section: REEC 220 Solar Thermal Systems

Unit 6 Overview

Unit 6 Overview

There are two main types of storage tanks are the pressurized tank and the unpressurized tank.  The Stiebel Eltron system uses a pressurized tank system. As part of a package, it is simpler to have the tank and install the complete unit as opposed to installing a separate tank elsewhere. Make sure that there is plenty of insulation around the tank!  The Stieble Eltron tank has an R value near 21.  When installing and maintaining the tank system it is important to have a means to protect the system.  A way to do that is by a sacrificial anode.  This will prolong the life of the tank by allowing a sacrificial metal to be used instead of allowing the tank to rust.

Tanks are sized in a number of ways.  Required temperature, daily load and seasonal temperature changes all must be factored.  A good rule to follow is around 1.5 gallons of storage per 1 square foot of collector aperture. Before anyone asks, let us nip in the bud the notion of a really large tank.  The bigger the tank the more collector area is needed to heat it; if the collector system is too small, the tank will never get hot enough and the temperature in the tank will not be much use.

To extract the energy, heat exchangers are used.  There are two types: submerged and external.  The submerged type is more efficient.
Important Term | Definition
Sacrifical Anode | The elements like, Magnesium, Aluminum or Zinc, that is installed within a tank that corrodes insteadof the tank.
Galvanic Corrosion | When two difference metals touch.  The cause is an electrochemical reaction because the difference in metals causes electrons to flow.