CFD modeling and performance evaluation of multipass solar air heaters

Abstract

This article investigates the impacts of flow configurations on the thermal performance of a solar heater system. Recycled aluminum cans (RACs) have been utilized as turbulators with a double pass single duct solar air collector. The CFD software of COMSOL Multiphysics V5.3a is used to model three designs: Cocurrent (model A), countercurrent (model B), and U-shape (model C). The numerical results reveal that the U-shape design offers a greater thermal performance of 5.4% and 6.5%, respectively, compared with the cocurrent and countercurrent flow models. Furthermore, an outdoor experiment is performed based on the numerical modeling of flow configurations. The experimental setup is examined for three configurations of model C, namely, solar air heater (SAH) without RAC model C-I (plain model), SAH with in-line RAC layout (model C-II), and SAH with staggered RAC layout (model C-III). We found the double pass single duct solar air collector (model C) design is in a good agreement with the experimental data, and model C-III has a better thermal efficiency of 60.2%, compared to those of model C-II, 53.1%, and model C-I, 49.4%.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr M. Al-Asadi of Basra Oil Company – Iraq, Mr H.T. Abdulazeez, Dr K.W. Abid, and Mr O.I. Abd of the University of Anbar – Iraq, and Dr P. Mason of the University of Leeds, UK for useful discussions.

Notes

1 Hereafter, all units are SI unless otherwise stated.

Additional information

Funding

This study is based upon work funded by the Higher Committee for Education Development (HCED), Iraq and the Renewable Energy Research Centre, University of Anbar.