Solar Pool Blanket Research and Development

Outdoor pools are considered as a major source of water, energy, and chemical consumption. This level of consumption is both costly for household’s economy and harmful for the environment. Considering the potential savings by utilizing a pool cover, Polyair in collaboration with Ryerson University will investigate the improved design of solar pool blanket(s) manufactured by Polyair. Polyair is the 2nd largest manufacturer of solar pool blanket in North America. It is essential to its business unit to review the design of their solar pool blanket(s) and continuously improve the performance of their offerings for different applications/markets to maintain the company’s leadership. The project aims to help develop solar pool blanket(s) as cost-effective multi-functional product that acts as solar collector for water heating as well as insulator for the reduction of water and chemical use and thermal MITACS Template Version- July 2010 12 losses from swimming pools. To achieve the project’s objectives, a theoretical model will be developed to evaluate the existing solar pool blanket performance. Also, an experimental setup will be developed to evaluate the effects of various parameters on the product’s performance.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Alan S. Fung and Dr. Wey H. Leong

Student:

Farshid Zabihian

Partner:

Polyair Canada Limited

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Ryerson University