All glass evacuated tube Heat Pipe solar collectors

Heat pipe solar collector Description:

The new evacuated heat-pipe tube is a revolutionary breakthrough in solar thermal technology as well as the symbol of a great leap in the solar thermal utilization field after mankind’s continuous research year after year. The tube has the following advantages:

1. Heat-pipe conduction, no water inside, thus it is successfully prevented from the defects of tube block and low power output caused by water fouling and deposits of mud and sand.
2. It prevents the tube from being easily broken cause of the volume expansion when the water in the tube freezes in the frigid season.
3. Start up quickly. The energy inside the tube can be taken out within 2 minutes under sunshine. The stagnation temperature of the heat pipe can reach 220℃.
4. High efficient selective absorptive coatings and vacuum heat insulation technology ensure the tube gets higher heat output in cloudy weather and in moist areas, especially in winter.
5. Solar collecting plate is installed and sealed inside the tube of high-quality borosilicate glass with 5×10-3Pa of vacuum, so it cannot corrode event in a moist area.
6. It perfectly solves the fetal defect of the common all-glass vacuum tube solar water heater, which can not run if one of the tubes is out of work.

copper heat pipe aluminium fin

copper heat pipe aluminum fin

Heat Pipe Evacuated Tube solar collector

The heat pipe evacuated tube consists of the glass evacuated tube and a copper heat pipe installed within the tube. The copper heat pipe transmits heat to its tip which is plugged into the collectors heat transfer manifold. As water runs through the manifold heat is transferred from the copper heat pipe to the water.

The heat pipe transfers the heat to the manifold by a very simple method. The copper heat pipe is hollow and contains acetone. The hollow centre of the heat pipe is a vacuum, so that at even a temperature of around 40 ℃ the acetone will vaporize(boil).

The vapor rises to the tip(condenser) of the heat pipe where the heat is transferred to the water flowing through the manifold. The loss of heat causes the vapor to condense and flow back down the heat pipe where the process is once again repeated. This method of heat transfer is thousands of times more efficient than a solid copper rod. Heat is therefore very efficiently transferred from the glass evacuated tube to the water.

heat pipe solar collector

heat pipe solar thermal collector

Type Heat Area
(㎡)
Dimension (mm) Gross weight(kg) 20GP/40GP/40HC container loading Quantity (sets)
HP58-1800-12 1.57 2020 × 1128 × 155 45 120/240/280
HP58-1800-15 1.97 2020 × 1410 × 155 54 110/220/250
HP58-1800-18 2.36 2020 × 1642 × 155 65 100/200/240
HP58-1800-20 2.62 2020 ×1825 ×155 77 80/150/170
HP58-1800-24 3.49 2020 ×2240 ×155 96 66/132/150
HP58-1800-30 3.93 2020 ×2655 ×155 114 50/100/120

Solar Heat Collecting panels (modules) are designed to meet increasing requirements of building aesthetics, high efficiency, and working with system pressure. They can be widely used, such as individual residences, and large hot water projects. Solar Heat Collecting panels can be easily assembled together and used for Residential Hot Water Centers, Central Heating, Swimming Pool Heating, Space heating, Industrial heating Process, Air Conditioning, etc.

Collecting panels benefits from the joint technology of the heat pipes and the vacuum tubes, so that They enjoy not only the advantages of both the vacuum tube and the heat pipe but also those created through their joint.

solar hot water collector

The solar collector is designed to be used with pressure up to 8 bar/116psi. This means it is compatible with all low pressure, and most mains pressure domestic hot water systems. In closed loop or sealed (dead water) thermal store systems an expansion vessel is often used to prevent pressure buildup as the water expands. A pressure release valve should also be used as a safety backup.

In areas where freezing is not of concern, open-loop systems are often used. Open-loop systems are also appropriate for cold regions when used in combination with a Delta-T controller that incorporates a freeze protection feature. Closed loop systems usually incorporate the use of a heat exchanger, either inside or outside the hot water storage tank. Solar collectors are suitable for both open or closed systems, as long as pressure, heat, and freezing are controlled.

The heat pipe solar collector does not have a built-in tank, in fact, the manifold of the 20-tube solar collector only contains about 510ml/1pint of water. A circulation pump is required to circulate the water through the manifold and back to the solar storage tank. Generally, a controller is used to control the pump.

A flow rate of only 2L/min is required for most domestic installations, and therefore a low-wattage pump is sufficient. Larger pumps are only necessary when several solar collectors are connected in series, or when the pump is required to overcome head pressure. The pressure drop at low flow rates is very minimal, only 700 Pa @ 3.3L/min for 20 tube manifolds, and so is not a major consideration when sizing pumps.

Thick glass wool surrounds the solar collector’s copper header, providing excellent insulation. The piping to and from the collector are however still susceptible to freezing, and therefore traditional freeze protection should be employed (low temp controller setting, or glycol/water closed loop). Solar tubes and heat pipes are able to withstand extremely cold conditions without being damaged.

glass tube solarcollector

The advantage of solar tubes is that they insulate the inner tube from heat loss.

This means that once heat is absorbed, it is transferred to the water in the manifold, and not lost to the outside environment.

This is the key difference between solar glass tube solar collectors and flat plate solar collectors: the insulative properties. Combined with the heat transfer efficiency of the heat pipe, the solar collector can deliver excellent heat output all year round. The IAM (Incidence Angle Modifier) values of the solar collectorsare also very different to solar collectors with flat absorbers.

The positive (>1) IAM values mean that the solar collector actually performs best mid morning and mid afternoon, resulting in a more stable heat output throughout the day.

When installing a heat pipe solar collector on your roof, how it looks is certainly important. The solar collector is designed to be low profile, sitting close to the surface of the roof. The tubes are black and so blend in nicely with most roof colors. The manifold is silver color aluminum.

Corrosion is always a consideration for any system that involves water and high temperatures. In warm environments, heavily chlorinated water can become a strong corrosive agent. In order to provide maximum corrosion resistance, the solar collector uses high-purity (99.93%) copper piping and silver braze for the header. Copper provides excellent corrosion resistance and is commonly used in household plumbing.

If corrosive liquids are to be used in the system, then a closed loop is highly recommended, thus allowing a non-corrosive liquids to be used in the solar collector loop.
If installed in open flow with a dead water thermal store style tank, corrosion and scale are almost eliminated as the system accepts almost no fresh water supply.

The high cost of solar tube-style collectors, and in fact all solar collectors, has been a major obstacle to their popularity and wide scale use. The solar collector is a high quality system that provides excellent heat output and reliable operation. As a result of clever product design and low manufacturing costs, solar collectors are now very affordable, providing fast payback times. (Depends on factors such as total system cost, energy costs, and solar insolation levels.)

Scale formation is an issue in many regions, as it gradually blocks up plumbing, particularly in hot water systems. With the high temperatures that the heat pipe solar collector produces, scale formation in the manifold may occur.

copper heatpipe

If the water supply is very hard there are some options:
1. Use an electric or magnetic water softener on the plumbing
2. Use a closed-loop system
3. Use a dead water thermal store configuration. Option 1 may still be required to protect the rest of the system.
A closed loop requires a more complicated system design and added cost. If there is no other reason to use a closed loop than to avoid scale, then it is advisable to use one of the widely available water-softening devices.

Our heat pipe solar collectors are ideal for large-scale solar water heating applications and able to be used in hotels, airports, apartment buildings or anywhere where hot water or heating is required. The economics of large-scale applications are generally more favorable than domestic, as instead of having a pump and tank for every one or two solar collectors, a single tank and pump can be used for 50 solar collectors.

Our heat pipe solar collectors can accept mains pressure, are corrosion resistant, and can be installed in series and/or parallel, thus are suited to a wide range of large and small scale applications.

The cost involved in repairing a household appliance is increasing all the time, not due so much to spare part costs, but rather the labour cost involved in having a technician visit. With this in mind our solar collector is designed to be maintenance-free, but if for some reason a solar tube should ever be damaged, it can be replaced quickly and easily by any person possessing basic trade skills.

There are several manufacturers of evacuated glass tube solar water heaters in China. Here are a few examples:

  1. Himin Solar Energy Group Co., Ltd.: This is one of the largest manufacturers of evacuated glass tube solar water heaters in China. They have several factories located throughout the country, including in Shandong, Jiangsu, and Guangdong provinces.
  2. Haining Jixiang Solar Energy Co., Ltd.: This company is located in Haining, Zhejiang province, and specializes in the production of evacuated glass tube solar water heaters. They have their own R&D team and have obtained several patents for their products.
  3. Zhejiang Shentai Solar Energy Co., Ltd.: This company is located in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, and has been in the solar energy industry for over 20 years. They produce a wide range of solar water heaters, including evacuated glass tube models.
  4. Changzhou Sunnergy Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: This company is located in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, and has been producing evacuated glass tube solar water heaters since 2006. They have their own testing laboratory and have obtained several international certifications for their products.
  5. Suneco Green Energy Ltd. This company has a full range of solar heater products, including solar glass tube collector and flate plate solar collector, you can choose non pressure system or pressured system.

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