Efficiency Enhancement in Double-Pass Perforated Glazed Solar Air Heaters with Porous Beds: Taguchi-Artificial Neural Network Optimization and Cost–Benefit Analysis

Roozbeh Vaziri, Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo, Mohsen Sharifpur, Rani Taher, Mohammad Hossein Ahmadi and Alibek Issakhov
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Roozbeh Vaziri: Faculty of Engineering, Cyprus Science University, TRNC via Mersin 10, Kyrenia 99300, Turkey
Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo: Polymeric Materials Research Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Arts and Science, Eastern Mediterranean University, TRNC via Mersin 10, Famagusta 99450, Turkey
Mohsen Sharifpur: Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
Rani Taher: College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, 220 Dasman, Egaila 15453, Kuwait
Mohammad Hossein Ahmadi: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood 3619995161, Iran
Alibek Issakhov: Department of Mathematical and Computer Modelling, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Analyzing the combination of involving parameters impacting the efficiency of solar air heaters is an attractive research areas. In this study, cost-effective double-pass perforated glazed solar air heaters (SAHs) packed with wire mesh layers (DPGSAHM), and iron wools (DPGSAHI) were fabricated, tested and experimentally enhanced under different operating conditions. Forty-eight iron pieces of wool and fifteen steel wire mesh layers were located between the external plexiglass and internal glass, which is utilized as an absorber plate. The experimental outcomes show that the thermal efficiency enhances as the air mass flow rate increases for the range of 0.014–0.033 kg/s. The highest thermal efficiency gained by utilizing the hybrid optimized DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI was 94 and 97%, respectively. The exergy efficiency and temperature difference (∆T) indicated an inverse relationship with mass flow rate. When the DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI were optimized by the hybrid procedure and employing the Taguchi-artificial neural network, enhancements in the thermal efficiency by 1.25% and in exergy efficiency by 2.4% were delivered. The results show the average cost per kW (USD 0.028) of useful heat gained by the DPGSAHM and DPGSAHI to be relatively higher than some double-pass SAHs reported in the literature.

Keywords: perforated solar air heater; glazed solar collector; thermal efficiency; wire mesh; double-pass collector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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