SolarMaster - Heat Pipe Solar Collector

The design of the SHC solar collector is a culmination of nearly 15 years of feedback from installers and solar professionals all over the world and aims to meet their requirements with the following key features:

• Easy and Safety Packing design
• Lightweight manifold and bracket design
• Anodized Aluminum Alloy mounting frames
• Extremely reliable header design, less brazing points
• All glass wool insulation for high temperature stability
• Extreme cold resilience (freeze protected heat pipes)
• UV stabilized components
• High wind load strength and High snow load strength
• Easy plug-in installation

Construction
The SHC solar collector is comprised of four main parts:

Evacuated Tube
Absorbs solar energy and converts it to usable heat.  Vacuum between the two glass layers insulates against heat loss.

Heat Pipe
Copper vacuum pipe that transfers the heat from within the ET up to the manifold.

Manifold
Insulated box containing the copper header pipe.  The header is a pair of contoured copper pipes with dry connect sockets that the heat pipes plug into.

Mounting Frame
Strong and easy to install with various options to match different mounting methods.

Component: Materials & Specifications
Evacuated Tubes
Material: Borosilicate 3.3
Tube style: Twin wall all glass
Dimensions: ∅58mm outer tube; ∅47mm inner tube;  1.8m length, 1.65mm outer tube wall thickness
Solar Absorber Coating
Material: Graded AL/N on AL
Absorptance: >92% (AM1.5);
Emittance: <8% (80 C)
Vacuum: P<5x10-5 Pa;
Heat loss: <0.8W/(m2 C)
Heat Pipes
Material: High purity “oxygen free” copper (ASTM: C10200; DIN: OF-Cu)
Heat transfer fluid: distilled water + special metal powder
Maximum heat transfer capacity: 220W / 750Btu
Operating angle: 20-80 Degrees              
Startup temperature: ~30 C / 86 F
Copper Header Pipe:
Material: Copper (ASTM: C1100, DIN: ECu-58); Potable water rated.
Brazing rod material: BAg45CuZn          Maximum pressure: 800kPa
Connection options: 22mm OD copper
Heat Transfer Fins
Material:  High purity aluminum
Rubber Components
Material: HTV Silicone Rubber (UV stabilized)
Mounting Frame
Material: 6005-T5 Aluminum Alloy
Manifold Casing
Material: 3A21 Aluminum with Anodized or Powder Coated Finish
Manifold Insulation
Material: Glass Wool (K = 0.043W/mK)
Thickness: Average >50mm