Enhancement strategies and engineering applications of photothermal conversion for evacuated tube solar collectors coupling heat pipes

Yanrong Xu, Tingting Zou, Xudong Yang, Fei Chen, Huilong Luo and Ruolin Li

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2025, vol. 220, issue C

Abstract: The utilization of renewable solar energy is widespread across the globe. In solar energy systems, collectors are employed to capture solar radiation and convert it into more useable forms of energy. Among these collectors, the Evacuated Tube Solar Collector (ETC) has garnered significant attention due to its outstanding performance and cost-effectiveness. To further enhance the utilization of solar radiation, a Heat Pipe-Evacuated Tube Solar Collector (HP-ETC) is created by coupling a conventional ETC with a heat pipe. This paper systematically describes enhancement strategies for the photothermal conversion of HP-ETCs and their engineering applications. First, the common types of ETCs are summarized and their working principles and operation modes are analyzed. Subsequently, recent literature focused on improving the photothermal conversion performance of HP-ETCs is summarized, emphasizing the system working medium, heat pipe working medium, HP-ETC structure, solar concentrators, and phase change materials (PCMs). The engineering applications of HP-ETCs in solar water heating, desalination, solar cogeneration, and agricultural product drying are explored. In addition, using the HP-ETC solar water heater system with a specification of 15 tubes as an example, an economic and environmental benefit analysis was carried out from the perspective of the whole life cycle. Finally, based on existing studies, potential avenues and challenges for future research on HP-ETCs are discussed, with a view to providing reference values for the scientific development and engineering applications of solar collectors.

Keywords: Solar energy; Heat pipe-evacuated tube solar collector (HP-ETC); Photothermal conversion performance; Efficiency; Application (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032125005660
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:220:y:2025:i:c:s1364032125005660

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.115893

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().