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Experiment 2: The Transfer Medium
Because of the exorbitant cost of copper and aluminum,
a new transfer medium needed to be found. The material needed
to be capable of transferring a large amount of heat and allow
the passage of air. Because of the unpredictable nature of
incoming solar radiation, a controlled experiment needed to
be performed to test various transfer mediums.
To accomplish this, a miniature solar collecter was built out of a styrofoam box. The box was lined with weather stripping and topped with glass to prevent leakage. A fan was used to move air through the box. Finally, a 90 watt light bulb was suspended from the ceiling to emulated the sun. The setup can be found below.
Transfer Mediums were chosen based on their porosity, cost, and durability. Cotton, fiberglass, polyester, rubber matting, and plastic construction lining were all tested and compared for the best results. Fiberglass outperformed all the other transfer mediums in heat transfer. It is also the most durable of the materials tested. Thus, fiberglass was chosen for the solar collector transfer medium.
 
Tested Transfer Mediums
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