Transient thermal characteristics of the convecting solar pond with the semi-transparent multilayer surface insulating system

A concept of the convecting solar pond with the multilayer surface insulating system which is transparent to solar radiation but opaque to infrared radiation is proposed, and its transient thermal characteristics are discussed by solving time-dependent energy equations using meteorological data from several locations in Japan. It is shown that the convecting solar pond reaches a quasi-steady periodic state after three or four years of operation and that its thermal performance is comparable with that of the salt-gradient solar pond.