Solar Energy, Vol.179, 343-351, 2019
Hydronic heated pavement system performance using a solar water heating system with heat pipe evacuated tube solar collectors
In this paper, a solar water heating system (SWHS) with heat-pipe evacuated tube collectors (HP-ETC) is experimentally evaluated as a hydronic heated pavement system heat source. Outdoor testing in Fayetteville, Arkansas was performed over the 2017-2018 winter season. The data collected in this study were used to evaluate pavement heating and snow-melting performance. A dual automated thermostat heating system was incorporated to (1) control pavement heating operation to maintain an anti-icing surface temperature (2 degrees C), and (2) control direct fluid heat transfer from the HP-ETC to the storage tank. Results showed that the SWHS with HP-ETC provided adequate thermal energy to maintain two 3.05 m x 1.22 m x 0.13 m concrete slab surfaces above freezing temperature. During a 6 h man-made snowfall test, the pavement maintained a snow-free surface. The maximum storage tank fluid temperature recorded was 74.0 degrees C during the test period. In clear sky conditions, the HP-ETC collected an average daily power of 2.7 kW.