The Possibility of Solar Water Heating in Kenyan Food Processing Plants

Abstract

There is need to rationalise the consumption of both fuelwood and petroleum products iil Kenya. A targe quantity of hot water is used in Food processiilg plants at temperatures which can easUybe attamed by nat plate solar collectors. Some nat plate solar collecton were tested and their thennal performance detennined lnterms of the well known Hottel- WhUHer-BUss equation. The long tenn thennal perform¬ance of the solar collectors at Kitale in western Kenya was estimated. It was found that a single-glazed collector with a black-chrome selective surface was the best perfonning nat plate collector for delivery temperatures of about sooC. It was concluded that nat plate solar collectors can be used to provide atleast part of the energy required for water heating in Kenyan food processing plants.