Heat-Pipe compact solar collector for domestic hot water preparation
The HeatPipe compact solar collector was designed specially for domestic hot water preparation. Its structure has very low heat loss to the ambient so the heating up period is very short.
The solar collector, the heat-exchanger and the solar tank constitute one compact unit. In the pipes of the absorber there is a special liquid, called ethanol, in vacuum. Hence, the solar collector can warm up the water in the case of relatively low radiaton.
As seen in the Figure, the solar collector is connecting directly to the water-pipe, so no other pump unit is necessary. The hot water-pipe is connectod to the extant boiler tank. Hence, the collector can provide enough hot water, the boiler does not switch on. The separate boiler tank is not necessery part of the system, because the Heat-Pipe compact collector has an electrical connection, so it can heat up water in the case of insufficient solar radiation. The solar tank is insulated by double thermal insulation, consequently it can be installed on the roof withour extra insulation.