This paper aims to quantify sensitivities of energy and exergy performances of Flat Plate Solar Water Heaters (FPSWHs) with respect to measurement parameters. For that purpose, a computational tool is developed and validated by using outdoor conditions according to the test standard EN 12975. First of all, numerical simulations are compared with experimental results and available data in the literature, and the comparison shows a good agreement. Then, we apply the proposed model to the quantification of uncertainties associated with transient simulation. Results show that ambient temperature is the main relevant factor in operating conditions, and its effect reaches 13.7% and 3.89% on energy and exergy efficiencies, respectively, when the deviation in the sensor measurement is about ±1°C. When 0.15 v% multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)-Ethylene-Glycol (E-G) (30 : 70) nanofluid is used as working fluid, results show that a suitable choice of nanofluid properties achieves 84.7% of the thermal efficiency during the zero reduced temperature conditions compared to 75.4% when the collector works with E-G. Using common empirical correlations affects substantially the accuracy of the fitting parameters, and the deviation in exergy efficiency reaches 1.18%.
Assessment of Uncertainties in Energetic and Exergetic Performances of a Flat Plate Solar Water Heater