Heating performance investigation of a bidirectional partition fluid thermal diode

A novel thermal diode, bidirectional partition fluid thermal diode (BPFTD) that is fabricated by integrating a thermal insulation partition and a movable control blade into a water tank, is proposed. The bidirectional configuration allows the BPFTD to serve both passive solar heating in winter and passive cooling in summer. BPFTD heating performances are tested with two side-by-side hot boxes and compared experimentally with a water-wall having optimum thickness. Two stages of experiments are conducted. The first stage is to investigate an appropriate position of BPFTD partition, and the second compares the BPFTD with the water-wall. The test results show that the BPFTD has much better heating performances than the water-wall. Analysis indicates that the BPFTD may increase heat supply by around 140% when a single glazing cover without night insulation is used and by around 70% in case of using a double glazing cover without night insulation.