Experimental study on the thermal performance and pressure drop of a solar air collector based on flat micro-heat pipe arrays

A new solar air collector that combines the use of flat micro-heat pipe arrays (FMHPA) and evacuated tube is developed and investigated. Using FMHPA as the central transporting component in a solar air collector is an effective approach to improve the collector's thermal properties and reduce its pressure drop. The thermal properties and pressure drop of the FMHPA solar air collector are analyzed in detail. The main objective of this paper is to report test results of the FMHPA solar air collectors which includes the effects of different seasons and airflow rates on the thermal efficiency and the pressure drop of the air collector. In summer, the thermal efficiency of the collector reaches 73% under stable operation. In the testing airflow range condition, the pressure drop is less than 25 Pa when the flow rate is below 201.6 m3/h. The relative uncertainty of thermal efficiency is approximately 7.73%.