Apricus Solar Hot Water Products

The Apricus solar hot water system is a major industry leader as a result of our continuous research and development. Utilising evacuated tube technology, the Apricus system outperforms flat-plate solar and carries the longest warranties available in the market. Working in partnership with respected industry suppliers, we ensure only the highest quality products are included in an Apricus solar hot water system. Our complete system package, includes a collector, pump, controller and storage tank. Each component is tried and tested to give our consumers the comfort of knowing their system is not only reliable but an investment that will endure for generations. Both the collector and stainless tank come with a 15 year quality guarantee.

Apricus Collector

The Apricus evacuated tube technology is a highly efficient, reliable solution suitable for the diverse conditions of the Australian climate.

Manufactured in line with ISO9001:2000 quality management requirements, and meeting SRCC, AS2712, and, Solarkeymark requirements. Apricus collectors are a quality choice for your home or commercial application.

Excellent Cold Weather Performance

Apricus collectors can perform well even in freezing conditions thanks to thick glass wool insulation and the vacuum insulated evacuated tubes. This is in contrast to flat plate collectors that perform poorly in cold conditions.

Passive Sun Tracking

Apricus collectors are designed with a round absorber surface that can passively track the sun throughout the day. This means more stable heat output throughout the day, not just at midday. The tubes are also spaced close together to minimise light loss between the tubes, and eliminate the need for a reflective panel.

Freeze Protected Heat Pipes

Apricus heat pipes are designed to withstand freezing without damage, which means that the collector can operate in very cold regions.

All Stainless Steel Mounting Frames

Stainless steel provides strength and corrosion resistance, and is used for all Apricus collector frame components.

Special Sprung Heat Pipe Design

Apricus has developed a special spring assembly design to ensure heat pipes are kept firmly in contact with the header pipe within the manifold. Tighter contact means faster heat transfer which is key for high collector efficiency.

How the Apricus Solar Collector Works

The operation of the Apricus solar collector is very simple.

Step 1. Solar Absorption

Solar radiation is absorbed by the evacuated tubes and converted into heat.

Step 2. Solar Heat Transfer

Heat pipes conduct the heat from within the solar tube up to the header

Step 3. Solar Energy Storage

Water is circulated through the header via intermittent pump cycling. Each time the water circulates through the header the temperatures is raised by a small amount. Throughout the day, the water in the storage tank is gradually heated. The temperature the water in the tank will reach will depend upon the amount of solar radiation, the size of the tank and the hot water usage throughout the day.

Evacuated Tubes

Apricus solar collectors use twin-glass evacuated tubes. They are comprised of two glass tubes, fused together at the top and bottom. The space between the two tubes is evacuated to form a vacuum. The structure is therefore very similar to a Thermos® flask you may use to keep water hot. The outer layer of the inner tubes is coated with a special selective layer which absorbs sunlight very efficiently. The vacuum layer insulates very well against heat loss providing excellent performance even in cold weather.

Apricus solar collectors have from 10 to 30 evacuated tubes, with each tube 1.8m / 70? long and 58mm / 2.3? in diameter. Each tube contains a long heat transfer fin and a heat pipe. The fin acts to hold the heat pipe in place against the inner wall of the tube, and also provides additional heat transfer.

Heat Pipes

Heat pipes are commonly used in many industries, in particular in computers, working to transfer the heat from the CPU away to the heat dissipator past which the fan blows air. Heat pipes are also used in many industries to move heat from one point to another.

Apricus has specially designed a heat pipe for use with evacuated tubes. The operating temperature range from freezing to more than 200 ºC / 395 ºF means that many common heat pipes designs are not viable. Apricus heat pipes are designed to be begin working at a low temperature (30 ºC / 86 ºF), are able to transfer heat consistently up to high temperatures and can withstand freezing conditions without damage.

Below is a diagram which shows the basic operation of the heat pipe.

The operation is very simple. The heat pipes is basically a copper pipe that has been evacuated for form a vacuum. The heat pipe contains a small volume of purified water which acts as the “working fluid”. Because the pressure in the heat pipe is very low, the water boils at only 30ºC / 86ºF. The resultant steam rushes to the top of the heat pipe where it off-loads heat, after which it condenses back to water and runs back down to repeat the cycle. Using this process, Apricus heat pipes have a heat transfer capacity in excess of 110Watts, with the evacuated tubes in strong sunlight able to provide around 50-60Watts.