Reference no: EM131617512

Question: A solar collector consists of a horizontal aluminum tube of outer diameter 5 cm enclosed in a concentric thin glass tube of 7 cm diameter. Water is heated as it flows through the aluminum tube, and the annular space between the aluminum and glass tubes is filled with air at 1 atm pressure. The pump circulating the water fails during a clear day, and the water temperature in the tube starts rising. The aluminum tube absorbs solar radiation at a rate of 20 W per meter length, and the temperature of the ambient air outside is 30°C. Approximating the surfaces of the tube and the glass cover as being black (emissivity ε = 1) in6 radiation calculations and taking the effective sky temperature to be 20°C, determine the temperature of the aluminum tube when equilibrium is established (i.e., when the net heat loss from the tube by convection and radiation equals the amount of solar energy absorbed by the tube). For evaluation of air properties at 1 atm pressure, assume 33°C for the surface temperature of the glass cover and 45°C for the aluminum tube temperature. Are these good assumptions?