Low thermal conductivity solar domestic water heater

Solar domestic water heaters (SWH) with thermosyphon circulation are the most common commercial applications of solar energy in Mexico. They are also becoming popular in the rest of the world, given their simplicity, good economic returns, and sustainability. Traditionally the solar collector, the piping, and the storage tank are built of copper and steel. However, water quality in many parts of the Mexican Northwest has high mineral contents and, when heated, results in early metal pitting corrosion of SWH parts. Short-lived water heaters are bad promoters of the technology. In this work, a SWH thermoplastic Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride (CPVC) is built and tested under real operating conditions in La Paz, BCS, Mexico. The optimal design is detected with the aid of a suitable numerical model. Results reveal that a full SWH-CPVC can be technically and economically convenient for the weather conditions of the Northwestern states of Mexico.