Numerical Study for Enhancement of Heat Transfer Using Discrete Metal Foam with Varying Thickness and Porosity in Solar Air Heater by LTNE Method

Rawal Diganjit, N. Gnanasekaran () and Moghtada Mobedi ()
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Rawal Diganjit: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore 575025, India
N. Gnanasekaran: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, Surathkal, Mangalore 575025, India
Moghtada Mobedi: Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi 432-8561, Japan

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-28

Abstract: A two-dimensional rectangular domain is considered with a discrete arrangement at equal distances from copper metal foam in a solar air heater (SAH). The local thermal non-equilibrium model is used for the analysis of heat transfer in a single-pass rectangular channel of SAH for different mass flow rates ranging from 0.03 to 0.05 kg/s at 850 W/m 2 heat flux. Three different pores per inch (PPI) and porosities of copper metal foam with three different discrete thicknesses at equal distances are studied numerically. This paper evaluates the performance of SAH with 10 PPI 0.8769 porosity, 20 PPI 0.8567 porosity, and 30 PPI 0.92 porosity at 22 mm, 44 mm, and 88 mm thicknesses. The Nusselt number for 22 mm, 44 mm, and 88 mm thicknesses is 157.64%, 183.31%, and 218.60%, respectively, higher than the empty channel. The performance factor for 22 mm thick metal foam is 5.02% and 16.61% higher than for 44 mm and 88 mm thick metal foam, respectively. Hence, it is found that metal foam can be an excellent option for heat transfer enhancement in SAH, if it is designed properly.

Keywords: metal foam; local thermal nonequilibrium model (LTNE); forced convection; performance factor; solar air heater; single pass (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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