Microcontrollers > Data Logging
Solar hot water heater – Data Logging
SparWeb:
--- Quote ---...I would never even think of this as a tracking system - too complicated and dangerous. Imagine a burst pipe at 116 Celsius!
--- End quote ---
Indeed! But I have seen a tracked hot-water panel, once in Home Power magazine. Also given your talent with tracking electronics I didn't want to rule out the possibility.
One more suggestion about Excel spreadsheet graphs: If you double-click on the time numbers on the X axis, you should be given a dialog box, allowing you some control over the density of numbers listed there. At the moment it's hard to read (of course you've noticed). To solve this you need to space out the time "data labels". In the SCALE tab, look for "number of categories between tick-mark labels". Try 15-minute spacing. If your data readings have been recorded every minute, then give the dialog box "15" categories between tick-mark labels. Also try the same figure for the tick marks themselves. If that doesn't clarify the x-axis enough, or cleans it out too much, you can probably adjust as you like it. Also helpful is to edit the format of the time, in the other tab, so that you can see just HH:MM instead of a long DD-MM-YYY_HH:MM:SS super precision time is not necessary in the graph, and remains in the spreadsheet as accurately as it ever was.
David HK:
You're quite right about the plethora of options to mess around with the way raw data is presented in any form including my charts shown above.
I have just left it "as it is" for all forum readers to see what my data logging is all about.
Apart from producing pretty pictures can the data be used for anything useful? I had though of using a temperature value to trigger a motor to cover all or part of the glass covers to prevent temperatures going over 100 C. Any other ideas?
David in HK
David HK:
To make up the cast of photographs, the following shows the on-screen control panel.
ghurd:
Very nice Dave.
Impressive, as always.
--- Quote from: David HK on March 24, 2013, 06:21:05 PM ---Any other ideas?
--- End quote ---
How about a ghurd-style dirt-simple solution?
Idea 1) Put a couple large holes on the box, with dampers and fans?
If the temperature gets too high, run the fans?
Surely that would be easier and cheaper than a mechanical device to cover the collector?
Idea 2)
A totally mechanical thermostat valve, which opens as the temp increases, thus allowing hot water to circulate via gravity feed to a cooler area?
It is not a new idea from me. I saw a system that used a wood fired furnace to heat domestic hot water. If the water became too hot, a (bimetalic?) valve opened allowing hot water to flow in a long loop of copper pipe (10M?). I have no idea what was used for the mechanical temp valve.
The one owner I reacall talking to about it in detail said it stopped the 'pop-off' from 'popping-off', and he was happier after he installed it.
It was a long time ago. That is about all I recall.
Idea 3)
Crazy. I am just saying it to inspire more thoughts.
What if? The top and bottom had MANY large holes. And the holes had covers that would lift a motor, triggered by temperature.
Motor at the top and bottom. Box or water gets too hot, and the motors open the covers allowing the air to gravity feed the hot air out, and the temperature in the box to go lower.
Could add a fan or 5 to help the temperature to go down faster.
It seems a lot easier than covering the collector to me... but I never did anything like that before.
G-
Frank S:
--- Quote from: ghurd on April 06, 2013, 06:17:47 PM ---Very nice Dave.
Impressive, as always.
How about a ghurd-style dirt-simple solution?
Idea 2)
A totally mechanical thermostat valve, which opens as the temp increases, thus allowing hot water to circulate via gravity feed to a cooler area?
. (((( I have no idea what was used for the mechanical temp valve.)))))
The one owner I reacall talking to about it in detail said it stopped the 'pop-off' from 'popping-off', and he was happier after he installed it.
It was a long time ago. That is about all I recall.
It seems a lot easier than covering the collector to me... but I never did anything like that before.
G-
--- End quote ---
for a mechanical valve a simple thermostat from the automotive industry should function well
Thermostats can be bought in ranges from 140f on up they last for years even in water without antifreeze coolant mix and the best thing is most are designed for full open fail should be simple to come up with a suitable size that could be installed in a 2" pipe coupling or in a pipe union
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