Optimisation of a wall implanted with heat pipes and applicability analysis in areas without district heating

Highlights: • The structure of heat pipes in south WIHP is optimised. • The H-WIHP can be well applicable in most cities of HSCW zone. • The H-WIHP has larger energy saving potential in London, Paris, Lyon, Rome and Madrid. -- Abstract: The heat transfer performance of the heat pipe, which is the key component of a wall implanted with heat pipes (WIHP), has a great influence on the energy saving potential of WIHP. In this paper, the structure of heat pipes in WIHP is optimised and the equivalent heat transfer coefficient (EHTC) of Z-WIHP and H-WIHP is investigated experimentally in Tianjin. The working hours, heat transfer capacity and energy saving rate for H-WIHP are simulated numerically using meteorological data for typical cities in the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone of China and in Western Europe. The results show that the average EHTC of H-WIHP is 1.12 W/(m²·K), which is 7.7% higher than that of Z-WIHP. The energy saving rate for H-WIHP can reach about 12.7% in Tianjin, 15–25% in the HSCW zone and 15–35% in London, Paris, Lyon, Rome and Madrid. In summary, the H-WIHP has excellent prospects for future development due to large energy saving potential.