A fundamental pre-requisite for the

A fundamental pre-requisite for the
characterization and quantification of thermal solar
collectors is the test for the determination of the parameters
of the efficiency curve of that collectors. In the international
context standard for the respective test procedures are given
by the norms ISO 9806 and EN 12975-1.
Currently there is no test facility in Brazil, that is certified
according to these norms. In view of a future certification a
collector test stand able to perform tests in accordance to
EN 12975-1 is under construction at the LABSOLAR Solar
Energy Laboratory, (department of mechanical engineering
at the Federal University of Santa Catarina.
EN 12975-1 is a dynamic test procedure that allows for
shorter time requirements than the static test described by
ISO 9806 which demands very strict climatic conditions and
thus need excessive time. On the other hand the dynamic test
requires a somewhat more demanding effort for the
parameter extraction.
A main objective of the present work is the discussion of the
test procedures in view the requirements of the accordance
of the sensors involved and the of quality of the test results,
i.e. the uncertainty of the collector parameters. The end use
accuracy of the procedure is discussed using the uncertainty
of the expected annual energy gain of the collector.