Experimental study of a solar air heater with modified absorber plate through square obstacles with threaded pin fins

Abstract

In this present experimental study, a flat absorber plate of a solar air heater (SAH) is modified through square obstacles with threaded pin fins to rate the performance of the SAH. It is evident from the literature that the poor rate of heat transfer of flat plate SAH remains a matter of concern for practicing engineers. The modification of the absorber plate’s surface becomes to be an effective practice for the researchers to counter the drawbacks and augment the performance of the SAH. From the energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and enviroeconomic standpoint, the present study discloses that the modified absorber plate performs better than the conventional flat absorber plate. The exit temperature of the solar air heater is increased by about 9% using the modified absorber plate. The energetic efficiency is found to be improved with the governing parameters. For a fixed air flow rate of 0.0094 kg/s, using a modified plate absorber augments the useful energy gained and the energy efficiency by 28.81% and 23.59%, respectively, for the higher collector tilt angle of 35°. Similarly, exergy efficiency is reported to be increased by 30% for the same conditions. Using a modified absorber plate decreases the exergy destruction by about 10% for the higher collector tilt angle and air flow rate. The energy payback time is estimated to be 1.42 years and the CO2 mitigation is reduced to 32.98 kg/year compared to the CO2 mitigation value of 333.33 tonnes using the modified absorber plate for a system life of 30 years.