Thermal performance analysis of a solar water heating system with heat pipe evacuated tube collector using data from a field trial

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the thermal performance of a solar water heating system with heat pipe evacuated tube collector using data obtained from a field trial installation over a year in Dublin, Ireland. An automated sub-system was developed and incorporated to control the hot water draw-offs and electric immersion heater to mimic the operation of solar water heating systems in domestic dwellings. The maximum recorded collector outlet fluid temperature was 70.3°C while the water temperature at the bottom of the hot water tank was 59.5°C. The annual average daily energy collected was 20.4MJd−1, energy delivered by the solar coil was 16.8MJd−1, supply pipe loss was 3.6MJd−1, solar fraction was 33.8%, collector efficiency was 63.2% and system efficiency was 52.0%. Reducing the supply pipe losses which represented 17.7% of energy collected and 21.5% of energy delivered to the hot water tank, and developing a better pump control strategy for heavily overcast and intermittent cloud covered days could result in system improvement.