Long-term thermal performance of a two-phase thermosyphon solar water heater
Journal
Solar Energy
Journal Volume
83
Journal Issue
7
Pages
1048-1055
Date Issued
2009
Author(s)
Abstract
This article investigates experimentally the long-term thermal performance of a two-phase thermosyphon solar water heater and compares the results with the conventional systems. Experimental investigations are conducted to obtain the system thermal efficiencies from the hourly, daily and long-term performance tests. Different heat transfer mechanisms, including natural convection, geyser boiling, nucleate boiling and film-wise condensation, are observed in the two-phase thermosyphon solar water heater while solar radiation varies. The thermal performance of the proposed system is compared with that of four conventional solar water heaters. Results show that the proposed system achieves system characteristic efficiency 18% higher than that of the conventional systems by reducing heat loss for the two-phase thermosyphon solar water heater. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Type
journal article