Abstract:
This research aims to study the effects of solar collector arrangement on heat transfer
enhancement by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. A double-flow
solar air heater model with the air flow both over and under the absorbing plate has been
developed in this work in order to yield the higher heat transfer rate than that of the
single flow solar air heater.The model is 1 meter long with two air flow channels in
which each air flow channel is 5 centimeter high. Fins with the thickness of 1 millimeter
are attached onto the absorbing plate. Consequently, variation of the spacing between
fins and fin height are carried out to find the optimal configuration for the best heat
transfer enhancement within the air flow channels.
From the results, it has been found that fishbone fins with the height of 4 centimeters,
and spacing between fins of 9 centimeters give the highest efficiency.When Reynolds
number is varied in the flow channel, it has been found that the efficiency increases with
Reynolds number.