Study the Effect of Phase Change Material on the Performance of Evacuated Tube Heat Pipe Solar Collector under Iraqi Climatic Conditions

Abstract

This work presents an experimental study to investigate the effect of integration phase change material (PCM) on thermal performance and efficiency of heat pipe-evacuated tube solar collector (HP-ETSC). The experiments were conducted under the Iraqi weather condition during the winter season (January, February, and March). To thoroughly investigate the thermal performance of HP-ETSC, a new experimental test rig was designed and manufactured based on standard criteria. The results showed that when integrating PCM with the system, it can significantly enhance the thermal capacity of the HP-ETSC system. The efficiency is increased by 3-5% and maintains the high temperature of water for a longer time at night. Moreover, the coefficients of evaporator heat transfer (EHTC) and condenser heat transfer (CHTC) of the heat pipe are also increased. The results from the developed HP-ETEC system are promising, and this experimental model can be applied using different types of phase change materials that are suitable to be used in Iraq.