The Riomay Ecotube

The Riomay Ecotube forms part of a simple, yet highly efficient energy transfer system that can heat water throughout the year. Whether your system is domestic, commercial, small or large, the principle is the same.

Ecotube


Simple but very effective - how it works

Inside each Ecotube is an absorber plate that gathers the sun’s energy and turns it into heat. The absorber plate is bonded to a copper pipe, and fluid passed through the pipe collects the heat for transfer to a hot water system.

The whole assembly is sealed within a glass tube containing a high vacuum, and this virtually eliminates heat losses by convection or conduction. This type of water heating system is much more efficient than a flat plate collector, and much more durable.

How does it produce hot water?

Simple system

The heat transfer fluid passing through each panel is a solution of water and non-toxic antifreeze. This fluid absorbs heat from the Ecotube array and is pumped to a heat exchanger (coil) in the hot water tank. The heat then passes into the water, and the fluid is pumped back to the solar panel.

The pump is controlled by an electronic device that detects the temperature difference between the solar panel and the hot water tank. When the temperature in the panel is lower than the temperature in the tank, the system remains on standby. But when the sun raises the temperature in the panel to 4°C above the temperature in the tank, the temperature controller switches on the pump.

The system prevents energy losses at night and during the darkest days of winter, and the heat transfer fluid eliminates any risk of freezing.

Download the diagram as a pdf

A high performing system


Ecotube performance exceeds that of competing evacuated tube systems, thanks to:

  • versatility - the Ecotube can go flat on roofs and walls, and the absorber plate is custom-angled in the factory to give you guaranteed maximum efficiency for the life of the system
  • high transmittance glass, which is virtually transparent to solar energy
  • a super-efficient selective coating on the absorber plate, which maximises the solar energy absorbed and minimises the heat energy lost by radiation
  • a uniquely durable glass-to-metal seal at the end of each tube, to maintain the high vacuum that prevents energy losses by convection and conduction
  • glass and metal components that expand and contract at the same rate in response to temperature changes, resulting in a reliable system built to last for more than 30 years
  • an indirect heat-exchanger that eliminates problems caused by the build-up of limescale, and ensures that the panel cannot freeze in winter