Heat Lump in Different Pavement Layer Using Ethylene Glycol as A Solar Heat Collector

Abstract

Due to the hot weather in Malaysia, several studies being carried out regarding solar energy harvesting and use as a noble renewable energy. Therefore, researchers start developing various methods to utilize sun’s heat as a renewable source of energy. Solar energy has been always concern researchers to develop most effective, durable and cheap methods and materials to be used as solar energy collectors in road pavements. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the maximum heat area using ethylene glycol. The study was involved the field monitoring of the six samples of asphalt slab with stainless steel pipe with ethylene glycol and empty pipe act as the controlled sample. The pipe was arranged in three different depths of 50mm, 100mm and 150mm and keeping controlled the pipe diameter and the size of slab of 20mm and 300mm x 300mm respectively. These results show that the maximum heat extraction by the ethylene glycol was at a depth 150mm which was 51.2°C. The average percentage increments of the pipe with ethylene glycol for three days for pipe depth 50mm was 71%, while for pipe at depth 100mm and 150mm were 78% and 62% respectively. The ethylene glycol effect was more noticeable compare to the pipe without ethylene glycol and can store more heat. For the strength of pipe, the highest maximum load bearing capacity that can be supported by the stainless steel pipe was at depth 50mm and the second highest was at a depth 100mm while the third highest was at depth 150mm. So, the suitable depth to install the pipe with the consideration of both cases which was maximum heat gain and the maximum load that can be supported was at depth 50mm.