Abstract

In this paper, a parametric study on the thermal performance of a solar air collector with a v-groove absorber has been investigated. In this single-cover collector, the air flowing in the channel formed by the v-groove absorber and the bottom plate—which is flat and insulated—is along the groove, aiming at enhanced heat transfer rate between the air and the absorber by increasing the heat transfer surface area, which is crucial to the improvement of thermal performance of a solar air collector. To quantify the achievable improvements with the v-groove absorber, a flat-plate solar air collector where both the absorbing plate and the bottom plate are flat, is also considered. The thermal performance of these two types of solar air collectors is analyzed and compared under various configurations and operating conditions. The results show that the v-groove collector has considerably superior thermal performance to the flat-plate collector. It is also found that to achieve better thermal performance, it is essential to; use a small size of the v-groove absorber for the v-groove absorber collector and to maintain a small gap between the absorber and the bottom plate for the flat-plate collector; to use selected coatings that have a very high absorptivity of solar radiation but a very small emissivity of thermal radiation on the absorber and glass cover; to maintain an air mass flow rate above 0.1kg/m2s; and to operate the collectors with the inlet fluid temperature close to that of the ambient fluid.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.