SOLAR AIR HEATER, School Science Project.

Solar Energy Science Project

PROJECT 1: SOLAR AIR HEATER

PROJECT

You will construct a solar air heater to attach to a south-facing window.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

RESOURCES

Cardboard can come from a large appliance or furniture box. The gesso paste, acrylic paint, paintbrush, and graph paper can be purchased at art supply stores or hobby shops. String, duct tape, masking tape, and measuring tape is available at hardware stores.

PROCESS

Add caption

Setting Up the Experiment

1.      Find a south-facing window and measure its width and height inside the frame.

2.     Cut out a piece of cardboard that is 10 inches (25 centimeters) wider and taller than the window.

3.      Cut a 5-inch (13-centimeter) square out of each corner to make four 5-inch (13-centimeter) flaps that extend from the top, bottom, and sides of the cardboard. Fold the flaps inward. The area inside the folds should be the same size as the window area.

4.      Apply a coat of gesso paste to the inward side of the cardboard. Allow the paste to dry for 10 minutes.

5.      After the paste has dried, paint the same side of the cardboard with flat black acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry.

6.      Cut vent holes 3 inches (8 centimeters) wide by

3 inches high at about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) from the top and bottom folds of the cardboard.

7.      Push thumbtacks into the unpainted side of the cardboard around the vent holes on the inside surface.

8.     Weave string around the thumbtacks and across the vent holes. This keeps the plastic wrap from blowing through the vent holes.

1.     9 Cover the thumbtacks with thin strips of duct tape to

2.     prevent them from falling out of the cardboard.

3.     10 Cut enough plastic wrap to cover the vent holes. 
       Decide which is the top and bottom of the cardboard. Tape

4.     the plastic to the top of the bottom vent holes on the black side so the plastic hangs as a flap. Do not

5.     completely seal the vent holes. Do the same to the top vent holes on the string side.

6.     11 Fold the cardboard flaps toward the black side, and place the cardboard inside the window frame. The plastic

7.     flap on top should be facing the inside of the room. Tape the cardboard to the window frame using masking

8.     tape. You should have air space between the window and the cardboard.

9.     Doing the Experiment

10.                        1 Draw lines on the graph paper to

11.                        make a chart that looks like this.

12.                        2 On a sunny day and a cloudy day, take temperature

13.                        readings every hour for several hours. To do this, hold

14.                        the thermometer under the plastic flaps covering the

15.                        vent holes for 2 minutes to measure the collector’s air

16.                        intake (bottom) and output (top) temperatures. Mark

17.                        your temperature readings on the graph paper.

18.                        WHAT DID YOU SEE?

19.                        During what time of day was the collector’s output temperature the highest? The lowest?

20.                        What was the highest output temperature of the collector on a cloudy day? On a sunny day?

21.                        HOW SOLAR AIR HEATERS WORK

22.                        Solar air heaters, also called collectors, trap the sun’s rays to produce heat. They are mostly used to heat homes

23.                        and water. Most solar collectors are boxes, frames, or rooms that contain these parts:

24.                        • Clear covers that let in solar energy

25.                        • Dark surfaces inside, called absorber plates, that soak up heat

26.                        • Insulation materials to prevent heat from escaping

2           • Vents or pipes that carry the heated air or liquid from inside the collector to where it can be used.