Recent Advancements in Evacuated Tube Solar Water Heaters: A Critical Review of the Integration of Phase Change Materials and Nanofluids with ETCs

Abstract

Evacuated tube solar water heaters are gaining more attention in the present market scenario as compared to conventional collectors. Such collectors are versatile because no solar tracking is required and the operating temperature range is also broad. Comparatively, it is cost-effective and may attain higher thermal efficiency. However, like other collectors, continuous energy supply is sometimes hampered by the intermittent nature of solar radiation. This problem can be partially resolved by using phase change materials (PCM) in the evacuated tube solar collector (ETC). PCMs can store the energy during the sunshine hours, which can be released when solar energy is not available. In the literature, several studies are available pertaining to the use of PCMs in ETC-based solar water heaters. The literature indicates that the integration of PCMs with ETCs has several merits. Nevertheless, systematic, and comprehensive review papers dedicated to such integrated energy storage systems with ETC solar water heaters are not available. Hence, the objective of this work is to compile the relevant experimental, numerical, and theoretical works reported in the literature. The present paper broadly reviews the recent design modifications, PCM integration with different kinds of ETC water heaters, and their life cycle assessment. Furthermore, studies in the literature pertaining to the application of nanoparticles in ETC systems are also discussed, and finally, a roadmap for this energy storage system is provided.