Start-stop cycling

In an effort to smooth out the troughs, when the delta between the panel and tank is just a bit too small to run, we’re trying an additional technique of using the light level to determine whether to keep the panel filled, even when we might lose a little heat from the tank as a consequence. Keeping the semi-syphon system filled, but not flowing, requires quite a delicate balance. Overshoot and lose heat, undershoot and drain back.

If we can do this, it should mean that the panel can operate sooner and not wait for the adequate panel, tank, delta, and hysteresis condition as the sun returns. It should eliminate some of the latency that occurs between irradiation on the panel and detection by the PT1000 sensor.

The test system will be on and off over the next few days during testing, and there will likely be some strange results showing up in the logs and graphs.

Categories: Development