Investigation of a Novel Hybrid Heat Pipe Solar Collector/CHP System

The process of selecting and designing the major components for a hybrid solar collector/CHP system is described. Particular attention was given to the design of the hybrid heat pipe solar collectors and micro impulse-reaction turbine. Experimental testing of the prototype was also carried out using the selected turbine unit. The variation of refrigerant pressures and temperatures, hot water temperatures in the collector and boiler systems, as well as chill water temperatures were recorded. The results were used to estimate the heat from the boiler and the solar collectors, the electricity and hot water generation (indicated as kW energy) from the CHP operation and the gas consumption of the system. The modelling and experimental results were compared for the impulse-reaction turbine system, and a simple analysis of the energy and environmental benefits of the system was carried out. The analysis indicated that the proposed system would save primary energy of approximately 3,150kWh per annum compared to the conventional electricity and heating supply systems, and this would result in reduction in CO2 emission of up to 600 tonnes per annum. The running cost of the proposed system would also be lower than conventional heating/power systems.