Determination of optimal angle of heat collector for solar water heating system in a dormitory building in Shanghai city

Based on the measured hot water volume for a dormitory building in Shanghai city, the characteristic of solar water heating system load is analyzed. The optimal angle of heat collector was solved by programming considering the monthly summation of auxiliary heat load with one year as the target function. The results show that the optimal angle depends on the heat collector area or solar fraction. In the specification range of 30-80%, the optimal angle is 36° when the solar fraction is the low value or high value; while the optimal angle is 40-41° when the solar fraction covers the medium value.