Experimental Analysis of Solar Water Heater Using Pulsating Heat Pipe

Solar energy is used for solar water heater in domestic and industrial purpose. Pulsating heat pipe is a fast responding, flexible and high performance thermal conducting device. The CLPHP system described in this study relies on the natural forces of gravity and capillary action and does not require an external power source. The flat plate collector consisted of a 2 mm thick sheet of Aluminum covered by a glass enclosure with a collecting area of 1*0.5 m 2 , an evaporator located on the collecting plate, and a condenser inserted into a water tank. A length of 0.003 ID copper tubing was bent into multiple turns at critical points along its path and used to channel the working fluid throughout the system. Water was used as the working fluid. Efficiency evaluations were conducted during daylight hours over a two month period and included extensive monitoring and recording of temperatures with type-K thermocouples placed at key locations throughout the system. The results confirmed the anticipated fluctuation in collector efficiency dependant on the time of day, solar energy irradiation; ambient temperature and flat plate mean temperature. An efficiency of approximately 44% was achieved, which correlates with the efficiency of the more expensive available solar water heater. The CLPHP system offers the additional benefits of corrosion free operation.