ABSTRACT

A Solar Space Heater is an alternative for electrical wall-mounted heaters but is just as efficient. Currently, electrical heaters are costly, area relatively troublesome to install, andtake up huge amounts of electrical energy which are then reflected in electric bills. The solar space heaters, the other hand, are practically free as the materials used are scrap (e.g. used tin cans or beverage cans) and does not consume electricity as they are mainly operated by heat convection and relies only on solar power. Solar space heaters were constructed for minimum cost of materials and were also tested for maximum efficiency. The installation of solar space heaters is proposed for residences in Baguio City to provide a more comfortable atmosphere, to offer an alternative home-heating device and to prevent low-temperature related diseases.

INTRODUCTION Baguio City, located 1,524 meters above sea level, is generally 8 cooler than any place among the Philippine lowlands. Without any home space heating system, residences can be cold and damp leading to fungus and mold overgrowths, which are just some of the most overlooked causes of colds, allergic reactions, and other low-temperature related diseases. Currently, electric heating systems are considered the most efficient form of heating; however, certain adjustments must be made for electric heating system installation. The user must be willing to pay higher electric bills and increased initial cost of construction and maintenance. This is basically the reason why electric heaters are seldom present in residences in Baguio. With waste disposal also being an intermittent problem in Baguio, the researchers came up with a concept for an alternative space heating system constructed from recycled materials. This heating system is basically a source of free, usable heat as it operates under the greenhouse and natural fluid convection principles. The heating system is comprised of empty soda cans which are drilled with large holes on either end to allow the air pass through them. Connection takes place when the surface of the soda cans which is painted black, capture heat from the sun. As the air travels through the connected cans, its temperature takes gain for each level. The unit is typically installed on the outside walls of houses, and in location whwere the sunlight is abundant.

KEYWORDS 1. Convection. The transmission of heat by the circulation (either natural or forced) of a liquid or a gas such as air. If natural, it is caused by the difference in weight of hotter and colder fluid. 2. Collector. A device used to gather the rays from the sun and turn them into heat. 3. Greenhouse Principle. A method of converting and trapping radiation from the sun in the form of heat. 4. Space Heater. A small, usually portable appliance that warms a small enclosed area.

METHODOLOGY 1. Collect empty soda cans. The number of cans depend on the space you intend to use the heater on. (For testing purposes, the researchers used 21 soda cans for a scaled room model) 2. Punch holes on the ends of the cans. As in fig.1. 3. Sand the surfaces of the cans in preparation for painting. 4. After sanding, the array positioning is planned. The cans are connected endto-end and side-to-side. (For the scaled model testing, the researchers used a 7 x 3 array of cans). 5. After finalizing the array positioning, the cans are glued end-to-end, side-toside. (The researchers used glue sticks for the actual model).
Figure 1. A Can with punched holes on both ends.

6. Apply black paint on the array. (fig.2) The black pigment would help in further heat absorption once the model is used for actual heating purposes. The array would look like that on fig.3.

Figure 2. Application of black paint on the array of cans.

Figure 3. The finished heater array.

Installation of the solar space heater Ideally, the heater is to be mounted outside a room where the sun shines the longest. The two ends of the heater are connected with input and output pipes, the bottom (input) being connected to the bottom of the room, and the top (output) connected to the upper portion of the room. The cold air inside the room would enter through the input pipe and would pass through the array of cans where it will be heated. Guided by the principle of fluid convection, a heated gas decreases density thus tends to move upward (through the array and eventually through the output pipe and back to the room). This movement of gases makes the input and output cycle of the heater automatic as soon as the apparatus gains enough heat from the sun. The heater made for this experiment only comprises of 21 cans and was tested on a scaled room model which was a box, 2 cubic meters in volume. The initial temperature inside the box was measured before the installation of the heater. As soon as the heater was exposed to sunlight, the temperature reading inside the box was monitored. The test was conducted for two consecutive days. The results of the experiment are presented on the next section.

DATA AND RESULTS

35 30 TEMPERATURE , C 25 20 15 10 5 0 8AM 11AM SPECIFIC TIME ON MARCH 3, SATURDAY 5PM Atmospheric Temp Heater temp

FIGURE 4. Temperature Variations versus Times of Day (March 3,2012) As seen in the figure, 11AM is the time when the highest atmospheric temperature reading is obtained. The temperature trend from morning until noon is increasing, while from noon to 5PM is decreasing. The black line is the air or temperature in the surroundings. The blue line is the temperature reading on the beverage cans. The temperature reading on the

beverage cans dramatically rises from 8AM to 11AM due to the number of hours the can is exposed to sunlight and due to the help of the black paint applied on the cans to absorb more heat.

30 25 TEMPERATURE, C 20 15 Atmospheric Temp 10 5 0 8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM 1PM 2PM 3PM SPECIFIC TIME ON MARCH 4, SUNDAY Heater Temp

FIGURE 5. Temperature Variations versus Times of Day (March 4, 2012) In the figure shown, the time of the day that has the highest temperature reading is at 3pm. From the start of the experiment until the end, the temperature of the air increases. The slope of the line is not so steep because the time interval is only 60 minutes. Observing the temperature of the cans, at initial reading, its temperature reading is lower compared to the air temperature because it is made of metal. After 60 minutes, the temperature reading increases but not that much because its initial temperature is low. After another 60 minutes, the temperature reading of the cans is higher than the air temperature proving that it absorbed additional heat. As observed, the temperature reading on the cans become constant from 2PM to 3PM yet the air temperature is increasing. In this time, the weather is partly sunny thus the amount of heat lost in the can is equal to the amount of heat absorbed from the sunlight and it became constant until 3pm which has a weather of mostly cloudy.

25 TEMPERATURE, C 20 15 10 5 0 15 18 21 NUMBER OF CANS

FIGURE 6. Temperature Variations versus Number of Cans Used In the figure, the number of cans is directly proportional to the temperature where the more cans used, the higher the output temperature. The temperature also depends on what color of paint is used and the size of the cans used or the area the cans occupied.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS From the experiments conducted on the scaled room model, it can be concluded that there are four variables which affect the efficiency of space heating, these are: (1) Atmospheric temperature, (2) Room temperature and area, (3) Number of cans used for heater construction, and (4) weather. It is noted that as atmospheric temperature increases, the heat gain of the scaled room model also increases. A relatively cold initial room temperature would reflect a slower rate of heating. The number of cans used for the heater construction also effects the efficiency for it was noted that as more cans are used, heat gain increases. But still, weather is the top factor to consider regarding the operation of the solar space heater. Since the heater is entirely dependent on the availability of sunlight, it is expected & proven that poor to neglictible heat gain can be achieved during cloudy or rainy weather. For ideal heater operation, one needs a lot of sunlight, a significant proportion of can number to room area, and a relatively stable atmospheric temperature throughout the day. But since these conditions are rarely satisfied simultaneously, adjustments on the heater design are recommended as a means of compensation. Since the experiments were conducted on a scaled room model which has a volume of 2 cubic meters, by ration and proportion, a room of 5 cubic meters volume would need approximately 300 cans for the solar heater to maintain its effect as

in the scaled model. An adjustable frame design for the heater would be a convenient way to control the heat gain of the environment by being a means of adding or removing cans as temperature control. With the current design, adding and removing cans are impractical and tedious.