Output details
15 - General Engineering
University of Hull
Dynamic performance of a façade-based solar loop heat pipe water heating system
This research proposed a novel solar thermal energy collection system incorporating a top-feed loop heat pipe to address problems relating to water circulation around the building (e.g. low efficiency, possible freezing and difficulty in façade integration. Through a novel dynamic (time-dependent) model, validated by a detailed experimental study, not only were these issues overcome, but 10% higher solar efficiency was achieved confirming the viability of a building-integrated, high efficiency solar collector system. These results led to the award of EU grant (PIIF-GA-2010-272362) and further research funded by Shanghai Pacific Energy Centre, China.