iSAH: Tin Can Solar Generated Air Heater

An Investigatory Project

Presented in Fulfillment for the

Requirement in Research 2

*Tristan Angelo Relucio Nabong

Trisha Rose Silvestre Baclig

Ace Nicole Maxine Juliano

Proponents

Grade 10

Sy 2022-2023
 ABSTRACT

This study focused on the development of a device aimed at

offering an alternative solution for solar air heating. The

primary objective of this project was to create a highly

efficient and affordable method to warm air, catering to a wide

range of applications including crop drying, space heating, and

ventilation.

In the evaluation of the performance of the iSAH,

comprehensive testing was conducted using a combination of

hygrometer and thermometer strips. These instruments were

strategically placed within the area to measure and monitor the

heat released during the operation of the device.

The researchers discovered and observed that this device can

be a good replacement or substitute for the Solar Air Heater or

the commercial product. The device is more affordable and very

easy to assemble than the commercialized one.

Analysis of the data shows that there is a significant

difference between the generated heat of the different trials

with different area sizes. Whereas the findings revealed that the

device works well in smaller areas, and works poorly in larger

areas.
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

The rising concern for climate change and global energy

demand has led to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions and a

decrease in the availability of non-renewable energy sources.

Therefore, to fulfill this rising demand, there is a need for

alternative, clean energy sources and solar energy has emerged as

one of the most promising alternatives to conventional energy

sources that can be harnessed for various applications, including

space heating, crop drying and composting.

This device and innovation that the researchers came up with

can be an alternative for solar air heaters which can provide a

cost-effective way to heat air for various purposes such as space

heating, crop drying, composting and ventilation. The use of an

alternative solar air heater has also many benefits, including

lower energy bills, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, reduced

carbon emissions and increased energy independence. Additionally,

this device uses a different type of collector, such as tin cans,

to increase the efficiency of the system. Tin cans that are made

up of aluminum or steel provide an effective and inexpensive

material that is used as an absorber plate for these alternative

solar air heaters.

This study is beneficial because the device is a sustainable

and environmentally-friendly solution that can contribute to

reducing the carbon footprint of buildings and homes. This study

would also benefit farmers, homeowners and businesses because

they will have solar air heaters that are not expensive and can

assemble by themselves.
Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 shows the sequence of methods and schemes on how

the device works. It also illustrates how the testing of the

device is done.

TIN CAN

PREPARATION OF
MATERIALS

ASSEMBLING TIN CAN

SOLAR GENERATED AIR
HEATER

TESTING OF DEVICE IN TERMS OF:

a. Thermal performance

b. Air Concentration

c. Released heat

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

Literature Review

Tin Can as Waste

Beverage waste such as Tin Cans contributes significantly to

environmental damages, aggregating to 40-60% of roadside litter,

42% in state waterways, and 49% of litter at all sites, with

about 425 cans per capita per year (Diaz, et al., 2016).

During the production process, the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) has found the coatings of the cans to contain

volatile organic compounds. These are carcinogenic compounds

released into the air that can contaminate local wildlife and

communities. The process of mining Bauxite (the material to make

aluminum) has also been found to lead to water and air pollution

(International Rivers, 2006).

On the other hand, Tin Cans are an advantage because

aluminum can be broken down and used to create a new can.

Compared to other forms of beverage containment, such as bottles,

glass, or paper cartons, aluminum is completely reusable for the

same purpose. When other materials are recycled, they are broken

into finer materials and used for other products. According to

the Aluminum Association, steel cans are by far, the most

recycled beverage container. An average can contains 70 percent

recycled metal and are recycled over and over again in a true

‘closed loop’ recycling process. (Aluminum Association, 2016)

Tin boost Solar Water Heater Efficiency

Scientists at the National Research Centre, Egypt have

demonstrated that black tin anodized aluminum is 17% more heat

efficient for flat panel solar water heaters than standard black

paint coatings. Solar water heaters, using sunlight to heat

domestic water, are expected to be an important step towards

tackling climate change, supplying up to 35% of demand by 2050.

Around 250 million dwellings used solar water heaters on rooftops

in 2020, including flat panel and evacuated tube designs, both of

which are used in different types of climate.

Flat panels traditionally use a black paint such as

Thurmolox, or ‘selective’ coatings typically based on chrome or

nickel that may be undesirable or expensive. Black paint coatings

absorb more heat but also release more energy. More efficient,

sustainable and cost-effective solutions are needed. The Egyptian

team compared the performance of the tin anodised aluminum panel,

made using stannous sulfate, to a black paint panel across a

range of daytime temperatures and found a significantly higher

efficiency for tin. Temperatures achieved were up to 10°C higher.

(Shaffei, et al., 2021)

 The present work may provide an important new route towards

making solar water heater systems more cost-effective and able to

contribute a greater share of domestic heat demand per household.

This study also aims to make a solar air heater that is more

cost-effective. Both devices use tin in making the solar heater.

Solar Air Heater

Solar air heating systems absorb thermal energy from direct

sunlight to heat air; this heated air can then be circulated

through buildings to provide heat. Solar air heating technologies

use only free, renewable, and clean energy, and can help defray

the rising cost of conventional energy. solar air heating systems

should face within 30° of true south to maximize their exposure

to the sun.

In barns and outbuildings where ventilation is important, an

active solar heating system that uses perforated metal cladding

can guarantee an inflow of heated fresh air, improving indoor air

quality. It can be easily incorporated into plans for a new

building or retrofitted onto an older building, replacing the

normal cladding. In warmer climates, solar air heating can be

used for more intense work, like drying crops. Apart from the
upfront costs, solar air heating requires only routine

maintenance—the energy it generates is free. (Juneau, 2023)

In this study, we will create a solar air heater made out of

tin cans. Despite the change of components, both devices work the

same way. However, a tin can solar generated air heater is eco-

friendlier and more cost-friendly than the usual solar air

heater.

Solar Water Heater

Solar water heater is a device that uses solar heat energy

to produce hot water. It consists of a solar collector mounted on

the roof of a building or a house. Depending on the system,

unheated water can either be heated directly by being circulated

from the tank through the collector or by a high-capacity heat-

exchange fluid that has been warmed in the collector and

transmits its heat through tubes in the water in the tank.

(Swati, 2016)

The advent of ‘green energy’ has helped people to adopt

efficient and sustainable methods to carry out daily activities.

Ideally, the solar water heater offers numerous advantages in a

cost-effective manner. Solar water heaters do not require high

maintenance, it is a renewable source of energy meaning it is

completely free. This device is also efficient as it converts

almost 80% radiation into heat energy without making use of any

external fuels. (Clark, 2019)

On the other hand, the effectiveness of the collector and

the overall system design largely determine the output of a solar

hot water system. An efficient solar hot water system must be

designed with the collector and storage tank sized appropriately

for the amount of hot water that will be used. All solar water

heaters must also include temperature restriction and overheating

mitigation features, especially if they are deployed in warm

locations.

Solar Thermal Collector

Solar energy collectors are special kind of heat exchangers

that transform solar radiation energy to internal energy of the

transport medium. The major component of any solar system is the

solar collector. This is a device which absorbs the incoming

solar radiation, converts it into heat, and transfers this heat

to a fluid flowing through the collector. The solar energy thus

collected is carried from the circulating fluid either directly

to the hot water or space. (Kalogirou, 2004)

 The major advantages of solar thermal collectors are that

they can generate high temperature heat, have high concentration

ratio, have high thermal efficiency, and are cost effective to

maintain.

On the other hand, the disadvantages associated with this

system are that they can utilize a small amount of diffuse

radiation and have additional operating components in the form of

a tracking motor. (Ratlamwala, 2014)

Solar Panel

A solar panel is a component of a photovoltaic system that

is made out of a series of photovoltaic cells arranged to

generate electricity using sunlight. The main component of a

solar panel is a solar cell, which converts the Sun’s energy to

usable electrical energy. The most common form of solar panels

involves crystalline silicon-type solar cells. (Britannica, 2023)

Solar panels have enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in

recent decades. That’s thanks in part to an increase in

environmentally responsible behavior and the desire to reduce

energy bills by exchanging traditional sources of heating,

cooling, and electricity with cleaner, more natural sources. But

solar panels won’t draw the sun’s energy at top capacity all the

time. (Perry, 2023)

 Solar heaters and solar panels both use solar to work. Both

devices are turned to face the Sun and may require regular

realignment to ensure that it receives the optimum solar gain.

But in this study, the solar heater was made from recyclable

materials.

Solar Energy

Solar energy is any type of energy generated by the sun.

Solar energy is created by nuclear fusion that takes place in the

sun. Fusion occurs when protons of hydrogen atoms violently

collide in the sun’s core and fuse to create a helium atom. Since

sunlight only shines for about half of the day in most parts of

the world, solar energy technologies have to include methods of

storing the energy during dark hours. Thermal mass systems use

paraffin wax or various forms of salt to store the energy in the

form of heat. Photovoltaic systems can send excess electricity to

the local power grid, or store the energy in rechargeable

batteries.

A major advantage to using solar energy is that it is a

renewable resource. We will have a steady, limitless supply of

sunlight for another 5 billion years. In one hour, the Earth’s

atmosphere receives enough sunlight to power the electricity

needs of every human being on Earth for a year. Solar energy is

clean. After the solar technology equipment is constructed and

put in place, solar energy does not need fuel to work. It also

does not emit greenhouse gasses or toxic materials. Using solar

energy can drastically reduce the impact we have on the

environment. Homes or businesses that install successful solar

panels can actually produce excess electricity. These homeowners

or business owners can sell energy back to the electric provider,

reducing or even eliminating power bills.

The main deterrent to using solar energy is the required

equipment. Solar technology equipment is expensive. Purchasing

and installing the equipment can cost tens of thousands of

dollars for individual homes. Although the government often

offers reduced taxes to people and businesses using solar energy,

and the technology can eliminate electricity bills, the initial

cost is too steep for many to consider. Solar energy equipment is

also heavy. In order to retrofit or install solar panels on the

roof of a building, the roof must be strong, large, and oriented

toward the sun’s path. Sunlight must be abundant and consistent

for solar energy to be an efficient choice. In most places on

Earth, sunlight’s variability makes it difficult to implement as

the only source of energy. (Turgeon & Morse, 2022)

Compact Disc Solar Panel

 A compact disc is used for storing media, recorded music,

audios, videos, and other data. In some cases, people tend to

just throw these discs away because they think they are no longer

useful, but little did they know that CDs are not biodegradable,

and it is predicted that a disc will take over a million years to

degrade entirely in a landfill. The global electronic sector is

severely hampered by the absence of recycling of e-waste, a

problem that gets worse as gadgets become more numerous, smaller,

and complicated. Currently, extracting minerals and metals from

various types of e-waste and recycling them costs money.

According to Millennium Waste Inc., CDs are difficult to

decompose, that is why landfills are not a practical disposal

solution. CDs may also eventually leak Bisphenol A (BPA), which

can harm people's health.

Compact Discs are good reflectors of the sun because of its

shiny surfaces. It can help to enhance the quantity of light that

enters the solar cell by reflecting more of the sun's rays, which

can help to boost the solar cell's efficiency. In this study, a

compact disc made out of silicon, will be used in creating a

solar panel.

This device is affordable and eco-friendly. This study would

benefit consumers because they will have a solar panel that is

not expensive and they can assemble it themselves. This would

also benefit the environment because the CDs that we will use are

recyclables.

Soda Can Solar Air Heater

Part of economic recovery is to recycle and to reuse

materials thereby saving the environment and also providing raw

materials for production. Use of soda cans can address these

issues. Conventional solar panels contain photovoltaic cells that

use materials such as silicon to convert energy from sunlight

into electricity. Soda cans can't convert sunlight to electrical

power, but they can be used to capture solar energy to heat air.

(CareerTrend, 2017)

Solar air heating is a solar thermal technology in which the

energy from the sun is captured by an absorption medium and used

to heat air for buildings or process heat applications. It has

been in operation since the World War II (Patel et al., 2014)

It has been found that soda cans can serve as solar

collector receivers of air heaters which is of higher importance

in the value chain. The usage provides a cheap way of making an

air heating system. The soda cans are used as the absorber plate

of a solar collector air heater and with the sun as the heat
source. This therefore qualifies it as a solar air heating

system. (Jacobs et al., 2017)

Solar Cookers

A solar oven, also called a solar cooker, is a device that

harnesses sunlight as a source of heat for cooking foodstuffs.

The solar oven is a simple, portable, economical, and efficient

tool. Especially in the developing world, solar ovens are much

preferred over other methods of cooking.

Of the many advantages of solar ovens, the greatest is their

freedom from the necessity for fuel. Solar ovens thus not only

remove any persistent labor or monetary costs associated with

cooking, but by conserving often scant resources in the long run

they prevent deforestation and desertification. Solar ovens are

also useful in the developed world whenever electricity is

unavailable and traditional open fires are undesirable, such as

while camping. (Harper, 2015)

Solar heaters and solar cookers, obviously, both use solar

to heat things up. Both devices are turned to face the Sun and

may require regular realignment to ensure that it receives the

optimum solar gain. However, in this study, the solar heater was

made from scratch.

Research Question

The study seeks to address the following questions:

1. What can be the effect of Tin Can Solar Generated Air Heater

as an alternative Solar Air Heater, in terms of:

a. Thermal performance (per 30 minutes)

b. Air Concentration

c. Released heat (°C)

2. Can a tin can solar air heater be capable of warming room

temperature?

3. Is there a significant difference between the generated heat

of the different trials with different area sizes?

Statement of Hypotheses

The following hypotheses are formulated in response to the

study’s aim and objectives.

1. There is no significant difference between the generated

heat of the different trials with different area sizes.

2. There is a significant difference between the generated heat

of the different trials with different area siz

Scope and Delimitation

This study aims to make a solar air heater made out of a tin

can and produce heat by it. This study aims to make a solar air

heater that is affordable and eco-friendly. This study was done

in June to September 2023 at Maestrang Kikay, Talavera, Nueva

Ecija.

The results of this study are applicable to warm room

temperature and in crop drying. This study is limited only in

finding the materials to gather and duration to test the device.

This study focuses on making tin can air heaters to produce

heat.

Definition of Terms

For the better understanding of the study, the following

terms are defined in the context of this research.

Aluminum - is a chemical element (its symbol in chemical formula

expressions is “Al”) that is used to absorb and transfer heat

from a heat source, and often chosen for its high thermal

conductivity, light weight and resistance to corrosion.

Cephalocaudal – a pattern that is upper to lower.

Crop Drying - reduces grain moisture content to a safe level for

storage. Solar air heating is a renewable energy heating

technology used to dry agricultural products effectively and

efficiently.

Generate - To produce, create, or bring into existence.

iSAH - This is inspired by the apple products ‘i’ in iPhone,

iPad, and iMac that means 'internet, individual, instruct, inform

and inspire’. In this study, ‘i’ means innovated, as this study

shows a new way in making a Solar Air Heater (SAH).

Proximo-distal – a pattern that is left to right.

Solar Air Heater - a device that uses solar energy to heat air

Solar Energy - the radiation from the Sun capable of producing

heat, causing chemical reactions, or generating electricity.

Steel - a metal alloy made mostly of iron and carbon, and is

often chosen for its high thermal conductivity and durability.

Thermal Performance - a factor that is concerned how well can the

room retain heat.

Tin - a soft faintly bluish-white lustrous low-melting

crystalline metallic element that is malleable and ductile at

ordinary temperatures and that is used especially in containers,

as a protective coating, in tinfoil, and in soft solders and

alloys.

Tin Can - a container made up of metal, typically steel or

aluminum, that is used to store and preserve food.

CHAPTER II
 METHODOLOGY

Gathering of Materials and Equipments

The materials gathered are 32 pieces of 155 grams Tin Can, 2

pieces of 110 cm long x 8 cm wide and 2 cm thick wood, 2 pieces

of 38x58 in cardboard, 40x49 cm Fiberglass, Hair Blower, exhaust

hose, 12v Regulator, 40 pieces 4in Nails, 43 cm long x 8 cm wide

fly screen, flat black spray, wood glue. Almost all materials

were bought from local stores and junk shops. Some are from the

researcher's home. The necessary equipment that is used in the

making of the device are drill, measuring tape, saw, and hammer.

Construction of the Device

The base and frame of the device was made up of 2 cm thick

wood with a size of 53 x 44 cm. Then two 49 cm long x 7 cm wide

cardboard and two 40 cm long x 7 cm wide cardboard are placed

inside the edge of the wooden frame. Then 7 holes were made at

the lower part of the wooden frame with the use of the drill.

Fly screen is attached at the bottom of the device to cover the

holes to protect the interior of the device from the insects

going inside.

Thirty-two (32) pieces of 155 grams Tin Cans or 7x5 cans are

attached inside the frame respectively, the cans and cardboards

are painted using a flat black spray. At the upper part of the
back frame, one hole was made and the hair blower was installed,

the exhaust hose is then connected to the blower. For the cover

of the device, a 40x49 cm fiberglass is attached. The device is

finally done and ready for testing.

Figure 2. Exterior Set-up

Figure 3. Interior Set-up

Schematic Design of the Device

Application of Treatment

The device is turned to face the Sun and may require regular

realignment to ensure that it receives the optimum solar gain.

The area used in this study is 12x8 feet, 6x4 feet, and 6.6x3.11

feet wide. The device is tested whether the area has sufficient

heat done by the device. The device is tested in terms of its

thermal performance every 30 minutes, area concentration in a

room, whether it is proximo-distal or cephalocaudal in pattern,

and released heat at °C.

Data Gathering Procedure

The data was collected right after the experiment. The

device is tested in terms of its thermal performance every 30

minutes, area concentration in a room, whether it is proximo-

distal or cephalocaudal in pattern, and released heat at °C. The

experimentation is performed in Maestrang Kikay, Talavera, Nueva

Ecija.

Data Analysis

The researchers examined the results of the experimentation

by using a One-way ANOVA Test. This was used to interpret and

determine if there were any significant differences between the

generated heat of different trials with different area sizes.

Potential impacts

This study’s potential impacts on the following;

Community - This study offers consumers significant electric bill

savings because they will have solar air heaters that are not

expensive and can assemble by themselves.

Energy Sector - This study introduces an alternative way in

creating solar air heaters which can ensure security of supply,

meet the energy demand, and promote clean energy resources and

technologies.

Businessman - This study opens new opportunities to them to try

and test this solar air heater and promote it to the public.

Farmers - This study benefits farmers from using solar air

heaters to dry crops as it can help them to increase their crop

yields and even improve their incomes.

Researchers - This provides new knowledge to the researchers.

Environment - This study serves as an environmentally friendly

air heater as it can contribute to reducing the carbon

footprints, greenhouse emission and mitigate climate change.

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