An experimental study of the utilization of heat pipes for solar water heaters

This paper reports the performance of solar domestic hot water systems manufactured with heat pipes. A series of tests were conducted on a number of systems to elicit the most suitable configuration of the system for possible commercialization in Korea. The heat pipe is made with a copper tube and the respective lengths of the evaporator, adiabatic, and condenser sections are 1700, 100 and 200 mm. The evaporator section is finned with a copper plate to increase solar input. Results show interesting performance data stemming from the difference in working fluids, presence of a wick, and other various design parameters associated with the collection and utilization of solar energy.