Abstract
An investigation is performed to find an optimum shape of obstacles attached to a solar air heater using three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes analyses of heat transfer and fluid flow. The Reynolds number, which is based on the hydraulic diameter of the channel, is in the range of 6800–10,000. The Nusselt number and friction factor are used to measure the thermal and aerodynamic performances of the solar air heater, respectively. Four different obstacle shapes (U-shaped, rectangular, trapezoidal, and pentagonal) and three arrangements of obstacles were tested to determine their effects on performance of the solar air heater. The results show that the performance factor (defined by a ratio of thermal to aerodynamic performance) was above unity for all the cases tested, and the pentagonal obstacle shape indicates the highest performance regardless of the Reynolds number. Detailed analyses of the thermal and flow fields are performed in order to obtain a better understanding of the heat transfer characteristics.
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