Enhancing the performance of solar air heater with innovative fins

Heba Alzaben, Maisa A. Sharaf, Ahmad Aljabr and S.A. Marzouk

Renewable Energy, 2026, vol. 256, issue PI

Abstract: The solar air heater (SAH) has significant roles as renewable energy technology that is applied in various applications including space heating, and crop drying. The main objective in this study is to investigate the effectiveness and performance of semi-cylindrical solar air heaters with swirling flow under different fin configurations, including standard tubular (STSAH), radial tubular (RTSAH), constructal tubular (CTSAH1, CTSAH2, and CTSAH3). The new configurations are compared to STSAH where the three constructal configurations; CTSAH1, CTSAH2, CTSAH3 are also investigated at three different bifurcations angles of 30, 45, 60°, respectively. This validation confirms the reliability of the numerical approach in investigating thermal and flow parameters. The findings reveal enhancements in outlet air temperature, Nusselt number, and exergy efficiency by 22 %, 14.5 % and 12 %, respectively, as a result of fin addition. The thermal efficiency increases by 13.5 % during the peak time utilizing CTSAH3 configuration. The incorporation of fins causes slight pressure drop, but it enhances overall system performance, as observed by the increase in thermohydraulic efficiency. Varying airflow with different Reynolds number values results in a substantial increase in the Nusselt number. The temperature and velocity distributions at different sections illustrate the performance of the SAH under different fin configurations.

Keywords: Tubular solar air heater; Friction factor; Constructal fins; Swirl flow; Exergy efficiency; Thermohydraulic efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pi:s0960148125023766

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124712

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