Apricus Solar Evacuated Tube Production & Packing

Video providing overview of the evacuated tube production and packing.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• apricus
• evacuated
• tube
• solar
• hot
• water

[apricussolar]

The pressure drop depends on the flow rate, but at 0.8gpm / 3lpm which is the nominal flow rate for a 30tube collector, drop is ~0.25ft of loss - goes up with increased flow. Absorber is round yes, coating on the tube. Stagnation is about 220oC - managing by using suitable heat transfer fluid and/or heat dissipation. Antifreeze we recommend Clariant Antrifrogen SOL HT which can handle the high temps. Hope that helps!!

[apricussolar]

Our collectors are made in China yes, at our own factory. I would love to make these in the US or Australia... but the costs are so prohibitively high, it would double the cost of the product. In fact we are soon to release a collector in the US market that is more than 51% US made to cater for the commercial market, but that is far more expensive. It is not just the lower labor costs, it is also the lower cost of tooling, equipment, land, buildings and availability of components etc etc

[apricussolar]

kthma2007: For production aspects that do have safety requirements for earplugs, safety glasses and face masks they do use them. Our factory focuses on the production of the solar collector manifold, heat pipes, frames and then final assembly, packing and shipment. We have a very safe and clean working environment and are inspected about once every 6 months by international auditors from Australia, Germany and representatives of the US certification body IAPMO.

[apricussolar]

There is no liquid in the tube. In the heat pipe there is distilled water, which has a low boiling temp under vacuum and is stable at high temperatures - refrigerant will break down to gases at the high temps the collectors can reach. The barium is used to form a coating that absorbs and oxygen and other gases still present in the space between the glass layers, any gas leaking in over time. The blue or black coating is able to absorb 92% of the sunlight it is exposed to. Hope that helps!

[apricussolar]

The water does not flow through the tubes. Heat pipes are inserted into the evacuated tubes which transfer the heat up to a heat transfer manifold. The water is circulated through that manifold, carrying the heat back to the storage tank.

[apricussolar]

Who overseas installs?? Certainly in Australia where I am from, and definitely in most of Europe it is LAW that such systems are installed by authorised people. Same for electrical work - need to have an electrician. It is also LAW to wear a harness if working on a roof, and all the plumbers I know do that - it is called OH & S. If you are allowed where you live to do such work yourself then feel free, just read the instructions carefully and don't fall off the roof :)

[adamdarrow]

What is the price for each tube when getting 1000 or more? Can I purchase a small number of tubes to test to determine if I want to get more?

[thelimpinmonkey]

what is the pressure drop in the manifold (main header) @what gpm? What is the velocity in the manifold, for what kind of medium (glycol, water ... oil)?

is the absorber cylindrical as well? what is the stagnation temp? do you have any method to fight stagnation? I'm in Europe.The winters here (central and east europe) are as tough as those in Ontario or Northern New York while the summers are quite hot. What kind of antifreeze do you use in your systems (recommendations?).

[xadam2dudex]

I think these are made in China ..nothing is made in the US anymore..even wind turbine generators are made in China..great green jobs are in China with the rest of the US industrial base

[viol999]

Their workers are not wearing safety equipment because they are in China, where workers are cheap and expendable (emphasis on cheap).

[kthma2007]

Your workers are not wearing breathing filter masks (???)

[wiscokiddd]

That is pretty technologically cool but I was evacuating tubes and combining the tube with a parabolic trough and applied for a patent I did not get because the big money boys own all. Athough your name and packaging shows English and possibly Amerikan involvement $. Your workers all look Asian. Nothing against Asians just that I am able to invent, and have experience in very trade yet I can't get peon job on your assembly line to make a buck and live the AMERICAN dream. Thanks a lot. PL&H

[blueskip]

ROFL