Solar Hybrid Hatching Machine Applying a Thermal Accumulator with a Reflective Array Method

In this research, a hybrid egg hatcher machine applied two types of energy for heating, namely solar thermal energy and an electric (fossil) heater. Solar energy was the main energy, and the electric heater was the secondary energy. This hybrid system was related to Indonesian geography, with high solar energy of an average of 5 kWh/m2/day in one year. Therefore, solar thermal energy storage will be effectively used in Indonesia to reduce fossil energy exploitation. The solar thermal energy was stored in an accumulator with a 4 m2 collector.  The solar thermal accumulator was an insulated vessel with high reflectivity and insulation.  The heat energy was stored and kept in some water bars. In maximizing absorption capability, the collector used a reflective array method that was operated by opening or closing the arrays. The arrays were controlled by an electronic controller, which compared the thermal energy inside with the energy of sunlight. The array’s movement to charge the accumulator was done automatically by using the hysteresis switching method. The electric heater will be used only if the accumulator temperature is less than 40 °C. The capacity of the egg hatcher machine accumulator was 300 eggs. Raw data were collected using a data logger of DAQ (Data Acquisition Interface) DT9813 to determine and analyze the performance of system parameters.  From the data collected, the solar thermal accumulator showed its capability for storing thermal energy up to 7.07 kWh. However, its average absorption efficiencies were 54–58 % by direct solar and 60–70 % by diffuse solar. Experiments verified the effectiveness of the designed accumulator. The experimental results showed that the electrical energy consumption was reduced up to 64 %.