Impact of various cross-sectional flow passages on the performance of a solar-based thermal energy conversion system

Rajneesh Kumar

Renewable Energy, 2024, vol. 234, issue C

Abstract: Higher energy demand has motived the researchers for exploring sustainable alternatives like freely available solar energy for space heating and drying applications. In this investigation, three different designs (triangular, triangular with rounded corners, and rectangular) has been proposed and compared with each other for finding the best. The primarily objective of this study is to analyze the effect of different shaped flow-passages on the thermohydraulic performance of the solar air heat. The heat absorbing side i.e. absorber plate is fabricated with the hemispherical roughness elements on it to improve the overall performance. The computational fluid dynamics-based model is developed and solution is simulated with a help of Fluent software. The RNG κ-ɛ model was chosen for turbulence. Results show that rounded corners (SAH-2) offer the best heat transfer for low Reynolds numbers (Re < 12,000), exceeding rectangular (SAH-3) and triangular (SAH-1) by 68 % and 30 %, respectively. However, for higher Reynolds number (15,000–20,000), rectangular passages (SAH-3) deliver the highest thermal-hydraulic performance (THP) of 2.2 (at Re 5600). Therefore, rounded corners are ideal for lower flow rates, while rectangular designs excel at higher flow rates.

Keywords: Solar energy; Solar air heater; Sustainable energy; Modified flow passage; Thermohydraulic performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:234:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124012175

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121149

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