Details on the Hydrothermal Characteristics within a Solar-Channel Heat-Exchanger Provided with Staggered T-Shaped Baffles

Driss Meddah Medjahed, Houari Ameur, Redha Rebhi, Mustafa Inc, Hijaz Ahmad, Younes Menni, Giulio Lorenzini, Fatimah S. Bayones and Musaad Aldhabani
Additional contact information
Driss Meddah Medjahed: Department of Technology, University Centre of Naama—Salhi Ahmed, P.O. Box 66, Naama 45000, Algeria
Houari Ameur: Department of Technology, University Centre of Naama—Salhi Ahmed, P.O. Box 66, Naama 45000, Algeria
Redha Rebhi: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Medea, Medea 26000, Algeria
Mustafa Inc: Department of Computer Engineering, Biruni University, Istanbul 34025, Turkey
Hijaz Ahmad: Section of Mathematics, International Telematic University Uninettuno, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 39, 00186 Roma, Italy
Younes Menni: Department of Technology, University Centre of Naama—Salhi Ahmed, P.O. Box 66, Naama 45000, Algeria
Giulio Lorenzini: Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma, Parco Area Delle Scienze, 181/A, 43124 Parma, Italy
Fatimah S. Bayones: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Musaad Aldhabani: Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, P.O. Box 741, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: Details on the hydrothermal characteristics of turbulent flows in a solar channel heat exchanger (CHE) are highlighted. The device has transverse T-shaped vortex generators (VGs). Two staggered VGs (baffles) are inserted on the lower and upper walls of the CHE. The working fluid is Newtonian and incompressible, with constant physical properties. The ANSYS Fluent 17.0 is utilized in this survey. The second-order upwind and QUICK schemes were utilized to perform the discretization of pressure and convective terms, respectively. The SIMPLE algorithm was employed to achieve the speed-pressure coupling. The residual target 10 −9 was selected as a convergence criterion. The effects of the T-VGs’ geometrical shape and Reynolds numbers were inspected. At the baffle level, the wall effect was augmented due to the reduction of the passage area of flows, which is estimated here to be 55%, resulting thus in a considerable resistance to the movement of fluid particles. The thermal distribution is highly dependent on the flow structures within the CHE. Since the fluid agitation yields an enhanced mixing, it allows thus an excellent heat transfer. The most considerable rates of thermal transfer were obtained with high Re, which resulted from the intensified mixing of fluid particles through the formation of recirculation cells and the interaction with the walls of the T-VGs and the CHE. The T-baffles with intense flow rates yielded negative turbulent speeds and intensify the fluid agitation, which improves the thermal exchange rates.

Keywords: solar channel; heat exchanger; T-baffle; turbulence; heat transfer; hydrothermal; CFD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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