CFD analysis of a solar air heater

Abstract

This paper presents the design of different solar air heater and simulation of forced convection heat transfer and fluid flow in a horizontal and shallow wavy enclosure. Its top wall is varied with a sinusoidal function and dimpled surface while the bottom wall is flat. The wavy wall has constant hot temperature during each simulation but changes for every single time of the day. The bottom wall as vertical surfaces are cold and insulated. The model design and meshing are carried out using GAMBIT software. The analyses were carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software Fluent 14.5. Results are presented in terms of streamlines, velocity vectors and tables. The focus of this research project is to improve the thermal performance of active solar air heater using sine wave corrugations and dimples The solar air heater which is studied in the present paper is a model where the air flow is controlled by a motor so that the mass flow is a controlled parameter. Based on the heat transfer equation, there are several parameters that influence efficiency increased. This work was focused on increasing efficiency by varying the exposed surface to sunlight for a predetermined area.