WERABE UNIVERSIT

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTEMENT OF MECHANICAI ENGINEERING

PROJECT TITLE: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A SOLAR WATER HEATER

EMPLOYING HEAT PIPE

18/03/2018
 WERABE UNIVERSIT
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTEMENT OF MECHANICAI ENGINEERING
PROJECT TITLE: DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF A SOLAR WATER HEATER EMPLOYING
HEAT PIPE
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BY
NAME ID
[Link] WENDWOSSEN…………………. NSR/00437/14
[Link] SEIDU……………………………... NSR/00210/14
3. MUSTEFA MOHAMMED……………….… NSR/01318/14
[Link] DEMISSIE…………………………. NSR/01830/1

ADVISOR NAME

CENTRAL ETHIOPIA WERABE

Approval Sheet
After the completion of the project proposal, the advisor(s) and the department
examination committee should give approval about the project. Thus, in project
report preparation an approval sheet will be prepared to get approval signature
from the concerned bodies.

WERABE UNIVERSITY
College of IOT
Department of Mechanical Engineering
APPROVAL SHEET

Approval Board:

______________________ _____________ ___________

Department Head Signature Date

______________________ _____________ ___________

Project Advisor Signature Date
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to design solar water heater employing heat pipes. Solar
energy is a clear abundant energy resource that can be used to supplement various energy
requirements such as domestic water heating and space heating. In addition, solar energy
has got economic, environmental, and sustainability benefits. Ethiopia being in the
tropical hemisphere has reserves of solar energy which still has not been exploited.

In solar collectors, the solar intensity is collected by aluminum fins. The design of solar
collector uses a heat pipe as main heat transfer unit from the evaporator to the condenser.
Heat pipes are force fully corrugated so that heat transfer will be efficient. So, the main
parts of this design are collector, heat exchanger (fin) and the hot water storage thank.

In heat pipes, Condensation occurs when the temperature of a vapor is reduced to below
its saturation temperature, Tsat. This is usually done by bringing the vapor in to contact
with a solid surface whose temperature Ts is below the saturation temperature Tsat of the
vapor. In film condensation, the condensate wets the surface and forms a liquid film on
the surface that slides down under the influence of gravity. The thickness of the liquid
film increases in the flow direction as more vapors condense on the flat surface. Based on
boiling and condensation inside the heat pipes the rate of heat transfer is to the water is
responsible for heating.

Heat pipe limits are factors that limit the heat transfer capability of heat pipes. These
include capillary pumping capacity (capillary limit), chocking of vapor flow (sonic
limitation (sonic limitation), tearing of the liquid off the liquid vapor inter face by vapor
flowing at high velocity (entrainment limitation), and disruption of the liquid flow by
nucleate boiling the wick (boiling limitation).

Working fluid, heat pipe material, and wick are the three components of a heat pipe. The
selection of these materials is the basic thing for heat pipe performance. So the design of
heat pipe includes this in addition to its diameter, container, checking heat pipe limitation
and insulation of its adiabatic region.
Introduction
1.1 Background
Solar energy is one of the most abundant and clean renewable energy sources available today. As
global demand for energy increases and environmental concerns intensify, the use of solar
technologies has become more essential. One of the most common uses of solar energy is
domestic water heating, which accounts for a significant percentage of household energy
consumption. Reducing the energy required to heat water can therefore contribute directly to
lowered utility costs and reduced fossil fuel dependency.
In solar thermal systems, efficiency of heat collection and transfer is the most important factor.
Heat pipes have emerged as a promising technology because they can transfer heat extremely
efficiently without the need for external pumps. A heat pipe works on a simple principle: a
working fluid inside the pipe evaporates at the hot end (evaporator), travels to the cooler end
(condenser), and releases heat as it condenses. This cycle continues as long as the temperature
difference exists.
heat pipes possess several advantages that make them ideal for solar water heating applications:
 They operate effectively even under small temperature differences.
 They distribute heat more uniformly than natural circulation systems.
 They can enhance the collector’s ability to absorb and transfer solar radiation efficiently.
 They are mechanically simple and reliable.
Because of these benefits, many researchers are interested in integrating heat pipes into solar
water heaters to improve their thermal performance, durability, and efficiency compared to
conventional flat-plate collectors.
Studies indicate that Ethiopia has immense renewable energy resources. These include
biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal energy. The exploitable resource potential of biomass,
solar, hydro, wind, and geothermal energy in tetra joule is estimated at 1129; 7432; 573; 901; and
12 respectively. (Reference 11)
However, except the biomass which is 53.5%, hydropower about .9% and negligible
amount of geothermal energy (about 8 MW), and energies the potential reserve are not exploited.
No significant effort has been under taken especially to exploit the solar and wind energy
potential of the country, and the resources are not made ready to be consumed to day.
The country’s natural forest which was estimated to have once 40% (45 million hectares
of the total land area now covers only 2.7 % (3 million hectares). The total available woody
biomass resource is estimated to be around 1389 million ton standing stock and about 26 million
ton in terms annual sustainable yield.
 Ethiopia because of its proximity to the equator the country enjoys receiving adequate
sunshine throughout the year. Ethiopia has 7466232 Tetra Joule potential reserve of solar energy,
from that 7432 is exploitable resource. This energy can be used for heating water which is used
for different purposes. Solar water heaters are widely used in countries like Israel and Australia.
while the experience of these countries shows solar energy can be competitive with conventional
sources of energy in certain areas of application in sunniest part of the world. (Source-
Proceeding of Energy Conference 2002)
The application of heat pipes for the purpose of water heating has not much experience,
but from the stand point of heat pipe property and working principle the use in this field is
promising.
1.2 Problem Statement
WERABE being part of Ethiopia has adequate sun shine hour which is about 900w/m2. The
design of solar water heater employing heat pipes is targeted to supply the required amount of
hot water for student’s cafeteria and to minimize biomass energy consumption thereby
decreasing the rate of deforestation
Conventional solar water heaters frequently suffer from several limitations, including high heat
loss during low radiation periods, insufficient heat transfer efficiency, and poor thermal
stratification in storage tanks. Natural circulation systems, in particular, show limited
performance due to uneven temperature distribution and reduced collector efficiency during off-
peak solar hours.
Previous research indicates that heat pipes can provide more uniform heat distribution and
improved thermal behavior under varying environmental conditions. However, system
performance remains sensitive to design factors such as working fluid selection, wick
characteristics, absorber surface treatment, and arrangement of heat pipe sections. These
challenges highlight the need for systematic investigation and optimization of heat pipe–
integrated solar water heaters to enhance their feasibility for widespread adoption

1.3 Objectives (Expanded Explanation)

General Objective
To design And analysis of a solar water heater employing heat pipe
Specific Objectives (Detailed)
To investigate heat pipe thermal characteristics
The study aims to examine how different working fluids, wick structures, and pipe
configurations influence system performance. The uploaded source shows that design choices
significantly affect temperature distribution and efficiency.

An_experimental_study_of_the_ut…

To design an efficient heat pipe–based solar collector

This includes optimizing evaporator, adiabatic, and condenser sections so that the system
transfers maximum heat to the storage tank.

To analyze the impact of collector surface treatment

Methods such as black-chrome coating or selective spray painting improve solar absorption.
Understanding the influence of these coatings is essential to improving efficiency.

An_experimental_study_of_the_ut…

To evaluate thermal performance under different operating conditions

The research intends to compare performance during high radiation, low radiation, and nighttime
conditions to understand system behavior across a full daily cycle.

To compare heat pipe systems with thermosyphon systems

The uploaded study compares their temperature profiles and confirms that heat pipes offer more
uniform heat delivery, particularly during low-radiation periods.
An_experimental_study_of_the_ut…
To recommend design modifications for enhanced performance
Based on the results, the study will suggest improvements to reduce heat loss, increase system
efficiency, and make heat pipe solar heaters more suitable for commercial or residential use.