Solar heating collector

Solar heating systems 10 Tube evacuated system Suitable for 1-2 person family Overall dimension of the panel: 960x2000x1800mm Cost: approx £2600 plus 5% vat 22 Tube evacuated system Suitable for 2-3 person family Overall dimension of the panel: 1920x2000x1800mm Estimated annual energy yield: 1100kwh Cost: approx £3200 plus 5% vat 30 Tube evacuated system Suitable for 3-5 person familyOverall dimension of the panel: 2560x2000x1800mm Estimated annual energy yield: Cost: approx £3700 plus 5% vat

(prices includes twin coil pressurised hot water tank and full installation)

* New build is VAT exempt and generous grant toward installation is available, application and guidance can be found at www.energy.detini.gov.uk.

Technical information

Monthly Irradiation Figures (Solar energy reaching each 1m2 of the earth’s surface at UK latitudes)

Collector Dimensions The collector consists of the array of tubes, a heavily insulated manifold header, stainless steel support frame and standard mounting frame package. Each tube is 47mm x 1500mm and the overall dimensions of the panel are 1760x1500x180mm. Vacuum Tubes Unlike cheaper panels, this system does not heat the water directly within the vacuum tubes. Instead, a sealed copper ‘heat pipe’ transfers the heat via convection of its internal heat transfer fluid to a ‘hot bulb’ that indirectly heats a copper manifold within the header. The heat pipes are inserted into curved absorbers forming an assembly, which is inserted into the glass tubes.

The tubes are made of borosilicate glass, which is strong and has a high transmittance for solar irradiation. In order to reduce the convection heat lost, the glass tubes are evacuated to vacuum pressure or less than 10-3 Pa. Stable vacuum seals are ensured by using a patented technique employing high heat and pressure. In order to keep the stability of the vacuum for a long time, a barium “getter” is used (the silver coating at the tip of the tube). This rare metal coating absorbs any gases that might eventually enter the tube, increasing the lifespan of the vacuum seal. Through evacuating air out of the glass tube the absorber material and selective coating are protected from corrosion and other environmental influences. This ensures a lifetime of at least 15 years without loss of efficiency. The getter also acts as an indicator and will turn white instantly should the tube be broken.

Header Pipe
The manifold has been designed around the use of a small diameter header pipe (28mm ID). This allows for a small manifold casing while still maintaining at least 50mm of insulation. The water volume capacity of the header pipe is less than 1.5 litres for the 30-tube collector, thus allowing fast heating during even overcast conditions. This is important for areas with lower solar irradiation or overcast conditions, as the heat from the manifold can be quickly harnessed, then held in the storage tank.

The header pipe is brazed with Copper-Phosphorus brazing material (BcuP6), giving excellent joint penetration and smooth brazing. This result is a join that is not only strong, but also very neat. As the brazing material is primarily copper (94%), rapid heating and cooling of the header pipe does not compromise the weld integrity.

After brazing, every header pipe is pressure tested to ensure weld integrity. The inlet and outlet are formed in standard 22mm copper to enable the use of conventional compression fittings for the manifold plumbing. The copper manifold is heavily insulated using compressed rock wool. This reduces heat loss to a minimum at night, and during cold weather. In conjunction with our freeze-protection controller, there should be no requirement for antifreeze. The 50mm thick insulation is been used to protect against heat loss. The connection between the heat pipe and manifold is critically important to ensure optimal heat transfer. The manifold header pipe is mounted within the manifold casing and is made of 28mm diameter, 1 mm thick copper pipe rated for a maximum pressure of 10 kg/cm2, the standard operational maximum being 6kg/cm2. The ‘hot bulb’ section of the heat pipe fits tightly in the heat pipe port in the manifold. Silicone heat-transfer compound (supplied with each kit) ensures a good transfer between heat pipe and the header pipe in the manifold. Heat transfer is by conduction allowing the manifold to remain fully sealed ensuring water can never leak at the connection.· Sealed manifolds make collector modules particularly suitable for areas with hard water (lime scale)

· Sealed manifolds allow the system to operate with high pressures of up to 10 bar, especially useful in large heating or air conditioning projects.

· Sealed manifolds eliminate leakages between manifold and vacuum tube.

· Sealed manifolds make it easy to replace collector tubes at any time without interrupting the operation of system.

Solar heat collectors N Ireland

We are located in Castlerock, between Coleraine and Limavady, County Londonderry, NI, our solar heat collector supplier services stretch right across Northern Ireland including counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry, Antrim, Down and Armagh.

However we also supply solar heat colletors to counties in Southern Ireland. To find out more about if KMK New Energies can supply you with a solar heat collector, click here to find out more.