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Experimental investigation of wire-mesh equipped U-tube evacuated tube collector integrated with phase change material for hot water generation

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  • Uniyal, Arun
  • Prajapati, Yogesh K.
  • Kumar, Deepak

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the U-tube evacuated tube collectors (UETCs) integrated with phase change material (PCM). Three distinct experimental test sections were constructed, each comprising three tubes connected by a continuous U-tube configuration. The first setup, designated as Set-A, contained air within the evacuated space of the UETC. The second setup, SetB, involved filling the UETC's evacuated space with a PCM, whereas the third setup, referred as SetC, utilized a combination of wire mesh and PCM. Paraffin wax has been used as the PCM in Set-B and SetC. Liquid water is circulated as a heat transfer fluid (HTF) in all the cases. The comparative performance analysis of these setups was conducted over a span of three days, employing variable mass flow rates of 13 LPH (litres per hour), 7 LPH, and 10 LPH for Day-1, Day-2, and Day-3, respectively. The findings revealed that Set-A exhibited the highest HTF temperature until noon across all considered days. However, beyond this point, Set-C demonstrated superior performance, delivering hot water for extended durations of 108, 82, and 45 min at the respective flow rates of 7 LPH, 10 LPH, and 13 LPH. These durations represent an enhancement of 44.11 %, 41.55 %, and 70.88 % over those observed for Set-B on Days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. A significant observation was the variation in thermal stratification across the setups. Set-A displayed the highest degree of thermal stratification, followed by SetB, with Set-C exhibiting the lowest. Specifically, thermal stratification in Set-C was reduced by 83.41 %, 78.8 %, and 84.48 % relative to Set-A, and by 67.34 %, 78.90 %, and 79.55 % compared to Set-B for Days 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Furthermore, the investigation into daily thermal efficiency across the different setups revealed that Set-C achieved the highest thermal efficiency, followed by Set-A, and then SetB. This enhanced performance of Set-C underscores the effectiveness of integrating a wire mesh and PCM within the UETC, presenting a compelling case for the adoption of such configurations to improve solar collector efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Uniyal, Arun & Prajapati, Yogesh K. & Kumar, Deepak, 2025. "Experimental investigation of wire-mesh equipped U-tube evacuated tube collector integrated with phase change material for hot water generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:377:y:2025:i:pb:s0306261924018841
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124501
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Naik, B. Kiran & Bhowmik, Mrinal & Muthukumar, P., 2019. "Experimental investigation and numerical modelling on the performance assessments of evacuated U – Tube solar collector systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1344-1361.
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    3. Huang, Xiaona & Wang, Qiliang & Yang, Honglun & Zhong, Shuai & Jiao, Dongsheng & Zhang, Kaili & Li, Mujun & Pei, Gang, 2019. "Theoretical and experimental studies of impacts of heat shields on heat pipe evacuated tube solar collector," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 999-1009.
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