Characterization of Testing Facilities for Solar Thermal Collectors

In this paper two testing facilities for solar thermal collectors developed at the Energy and Thermal Fluid Dynamics Laboratory of the University of Bergamo are presented. The facilities are suitable to test commercial or novel design collectors outdoor. Both the facilities have the possibility to track the sun about two axes, thanks to a quasi-continuous fully automated active tracking system. To evaluate benefits of moderate concentration ratio, tested collectors can be boosted with planar reflecting surfaces. The reflectors can be placed in different fixed positions or remotely moved during a testing period. Basic structure and instrumentation of the facilities, data acquisition system and tracking system automation are described. First results of a campaign addressed to quantify the contribution of reflecting surfaces on a flat-plate collector are reported.