| Evacuated Tubes |
Since evacuated glass tube technology was invented, solar energy has been able to be changed to heat energy in four seasons. Solar exposure can be turned into heat energy regardless of the ambient temperature of the collectors. These solar collectors use a patented German design for the glass tubing and the absorbing surface inside the tubes was developed at Sydney University in the 70’s. The inner and outer tubes are made from extremely strong borosilicate glass developed by German glass maker Otto Schott in the late 19th century. In this process the inner and outer tubes are evacuated and fused together creating a vacuum space between the two glass layers which forms an excellent insulation to stop the heat loss from the inside, as well as the outside. The outside of the inner tube is coated with a “Novel Sputtering” coating to absorb maximum solar energy. When sunlight strikes the collector, the solar radiation goes through the clear glass of the outer tube and is absorbed by the coating on the outside of the inner tube. This solar energy is then changed into heat energy by the coating surface and thus, heats the inner tube. Butterfly Flooded Tube In this type of solar pool heating system the actual pool water flows into the evacuated tubes which are in a butterfly arrangement either side of a stainless steel manifold. Natural thermo syphoning occurs and the heated water then flows back to the pool. Heat Pipe Collector In a heat pipe collector, the suns energy is absorbed by the tubes and is then transferred to your water via special heat pipes located inside each tube. A very small amount of non-toxic liquid is inside each heat pipe which is then turned into gas by the sun. This gas then rises up to the tips of the pipes which are inserted into a heat transfer manifold located on your roof. The water is then pumped through this manifold absorbing all the heat that is available and stored in a water storage tank located on the ground. U Pipe Collector In a U pipe collector, the copper tube is bent into a ‘U’ shape and inlaid into special heat transferring fins. Both copper tubes and a pair of fins sit inside the evacuated glass tube. When the sunlight strikes this collector, the solar radiation goes through the clear glass of the outer tube and gets absorbed by the coating on the outside of the inner tube. Encircled by the inner glass tube, the fins transfer the heat from the absorbing surface to the copper U pipe embedded inside. Water flows through the U pipe and is heated and stored in a storage tank where it is kept until needed. |
