An analytic model for the long-term performance of solar air heating systems

An analytic model is presented for the prediction of the monthly and yearly thermal performance of solar air heating systems. The effects of stratification in packed rock bed storage are explicitly taken into account. An expression for monthly solar fraction that depends on the important system and climatic variables is derived, which affords accurate predictions compared to corresponding f-chart calculations. The value of our analytic model, vis-a-vis calculational tools such as f-chart, is discussed. The method is applicable to all solar collector types as well as to load distributions of other than 24 hr/day.