Three-Dimensional Thermo-Hydraulic Analysis of Solar Air Heater With Equilateral Prism-Shaped Rib Roughness

Abstract

Abstract Thermal transport and flow friction characteristics due to roughness on the absorber plate of solar air heater are evaluated by applying three-dimensional finite volume based code. Renormalization group (RNG) k–ɛ model is employed to capture the turbulent nature of the flow. The effect of equilateral prism-shaped rib roughness geometrical parameters in terms of relative roughness height (e/D) and relative roughness pitch (p/e) on heat transfer and flow friction is analyzed. Further, the effect of flow parameter, Re in the range of 4000–18,000 is also explored. Results are elucidated in terms of average Nusselt number, friction factor, turbulent kinetic energy, and eddy dissipation. Results are compared with a smooth absorber plate solar air heater. Thermo-hydraulic performance of the roughened solar air heater is analyzed. Noteworthy augmentation in heat transport is obtained. The thermal enhancement factor is calculated for optimal performance and found to vary from 1.7 to 3.5. However, friction factor and pressure loss for roughened plate is significantly higher than its smooth counterpart. The pressure drop across the test section increases with the rise in roughness height due to flow obstruction. A minimum value of the friction factor enhancement ratio worth 2.13 is obtained. Enhancement in thermal transport and pressure losses are combined by introducing a thermo-hydraulic performance factor (THHP). For the range of parameters investigated, the optimum value of the thermo-hydraulic performance factor is found to be 3.41. Correlations for average Nusselt number and friction factor are offered at the end.