IEA Activities
MATERIALS IN SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS
» Description / Aim
The Working Group was established in the autumn of 1994 as an extension of work which had been conducted on solar collector absorbers in Subtask B of Task 10 - Solar Materials R&D. Sweden was assumed the leadership of the group in the initial phase of work.
» Objectives
The objectives of the working group are:
- To develop or validate durability test procedures for solar collector materials.
- To generalise test procedures for standardisation.
- To develop guidelines for solar collector design to achieve the most favourable microclimate conditions for materials.
The following areas have been identified for joint research work:
- Durability and Life-time Assessment of Solar Absorber Coatings
- Antireflecting Devices for Solar Thermal Applications
- Methods for Characterisation of Microclimate for Materials in Collectors
- Durability Aspects on the Use of Polymeric Materials in Solar Collecting Devices
In each of these areas a number of well defined projects will be conducted. It is the responsibility of the appointed Project Leaders to take the necessary actions needed to initiate, conduct and report the work in the form of internal working documents or most preferably through conference papers.
A summery report on the results of the entire working group will be documented in the form of an IEA Technical report. The main responsibility for managing the joint research work will be placed on the Project Leaders. The part played by the Working Group Leader will be that of a co-ordinator.
The activities of this working group have been scheduled for a time period from October 1994 until a follow-up Task will be started.