Abstract This paper presents the development through experimental performance characterisation of a pre-heat Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater using a novel thermal diode operation to reduce ambient heat loss during non-collection periods. Using a solar simulator facility at Ulster University, the novel prototype pre-heat Mark IV unit was tested and evaluated. The concept has been designed and developed to be a sustainable pre-heat alternative to other types of solar water heating systems traditionally used in domestic hot water installations. The highest 6 h collection efficiency was 36.17% under solar simulated conditions. The lowest system ‘U’ value was 0.98 Wm−2K−1 with no draw-off conditions. When the current prototype ICS units are compared with other conventional ICS systems, particularly in terms of thermal retention during non-collection periods, an improved performance is clearly demonstrated. The measured thermal losses were approximately 40% less than other similarly measured systems.

中文翻译：

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一种新型热敏二极管预热太阳能热水器在模拟太阳条件下的实验评价与改进

摘要 本文介绍了通过使用新型热二极管操作来减少非收集期间环境热损失的预热集成集热器存储太阳能热水器的实验性能表征的发展。使用阿尔斯特大学的太阳能模拟器设施，对新型原型预热 Mark IV 装置进行了测试和评估。该概念的设计和开发是一种可持续的预热替代方案，可替代传统上用于家用热水装置的其他类型的太阳能热水系统。在太阳模拟条件下，6 h 的最高收集效率为 36.17%。最低的系统“U”值为 0.98 Wm-2K-1，无牵引条件。当将当前原型 ICS 单元与其他传统 ICS 系统进行比较时，特别是在非收集期间的保温性方面，性能得到明显改善。测得的热损失比其他类似测得的系统少约 40%。