Experimental investigation on the impact of fin structure factors on the finned-Trombe wall thermal performance

Abstract

By increasing surface area, fins can enhance the heat transfer and improve the Trombe wall thermal performance. However, there is still a lack of detailed experimental research on the impact of fin structure factors on the thermal performance of finned-Trombe wall (F-TW). This experiment establishes a platform under laboratory conditions to investigate the impact of fin height and spacing on the F-TW thermal performance. Electric heating is used to simulate the solar radiation. The results indicate that in areas with relatively low solar radiation intensity, the F-TW is more cost-effective for improving F-TW thermal performance. The F-TW thermal parameters including air temperature rise, mass flow rate, thermal efficiency and overall natural convective heat transfer coefficient are enlarged as the fin height increases and fin spacing decreases, while the heat loss coefficient of glass cover is opposite. The fin spacing has a more significant influence on the F-TW thermal performance and natural convective heat transfer in the channel than the fin height does. The maximum thermal efficiency of 63.75% is obtained at heat flux of 860W/m2, relative fin height of 0.75 and relative fin spacing of 0.06. Finally, for the engineering design and performance assessment of F-TW, the experimental correlation is provided to calculate the average natural convective heat transfer Nusselt number in the channel.