Pressure and temperature development in solar heating system during stagnation

This paper presents an investigation of stagnation in solar collectors and the effects it will have on the collector loop. At a laboratory test stand at the Technical University of Denmark, a pressurized solar collector loop was designed to test different numbers of collectors and different designs of the pipes of the solar collector loop.

During the investigation the pre-pressure of the expansion vessel and system filling pressure was changed. The investigations showed that a large pressurised expansion vessel will protect the collector loop from critically high temperatures as long as the solar collectors have a good emptying behaviour and the circulation pump is turned off during stagnation.