Thermal–hydraulic analysis of a solar air heater fitted with a wire-roughened absorber plate

Abstract

This study is to evaluate heat transmission and friction in a rectangular solar air heater with a V-shaped wire rib roughness on the absorber plate that operates in fully formed turbulent flow. Additionally, studies are performed to generate prediction equations for the average friction factor, Stanton number, and efficiency index. The Reynolds number [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text], angle of attack [Formula: see text]20[Formula: see text]–90[Formula: see text]), relative roughness pitch [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text], relative roughness height [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text], and the aspect ratio [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] was varied. The efficiency index [Formula: see text] is commonly employed as a thermo-hydraulic performance metric. It is computed as [Formula: see text]. The wire roughness and airflow parameters [Formula: see text] are optimized to maximize heat transfer while retaining minimal friction losses. On the basis of resemblance criteria, average Stanton numbers, average Nusselt numbers, and even average friction factors are derived. The results are compared to those obtained with a smooth absorber duct under similar airflow circumstances in order to assess the increase in heat transfer coefficient and friction factor. The [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] have a significant influence on thermo–hydraulic performance, according to these studies. With [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], the optimal configuration geometry for wire roughness and solar air heater duct is identified.