Solar Air Heater with Finned Absorber Plate and Helical Flow Path: A CFD Analysis

Abstract

In the present numerical investigation, a unique design of solar air heater with finned absorber plate allowing helical flow of air is considered. The design enhances the heat transfer rate by enhancing the effective heat transfer area as well as by increasing the flow turbulence. The novel design is compared with a conventional single flow single pass design. Computational study of flow dynamics and heat transfer characteristics for both the considered designs is done at different mass flow rates using commercial software ANSYS FLUENT 18.0. Results indicate a maximum thermal performance enhancement of 3.72 times due to the novel absorber plate design as compared to its flat plate counterpart at a mass flow rate of 0.013 kg/s. The rate of enhancement in the heat transfer coefficient with increase in mass flow rate is much higher in case of solar air heater with helical flow as compared to its conventional counterpart. Thermal and hydraulic performance for both the collectors at different mass flow rate is described in details and the results are supported with different contours.