Manjunath, M S and Karanth, Vasudeva K and Sharma, Yagnesh N (2019) Numerical Analysis of Flat Plate Solar Air Heater Integrated With an Array of Pin Fins on Absorber Plate for Enhancement in Thermal Performance. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 141. 051008-1. ISSN 0199-6231

PDF 7475.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (951kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Thispaperpresentsathree-dimensionalnumericalanalysisofa flatplatesolarairheaterin the presence of a pin fin array using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software tool ANSYS FLUENT 16.2. Theeffectofgeometricparametersofpin finsas wellas the flowReynolds number(4000–4,000)on theeffective efficiencyis evaluated. The longitudinalpitch(PL)of pin fin array is varied as 30 mm, 40 mm, and 50 mm and the diameter (Dw) is varied as 1.0 mm, 1.6 mm, and 2.2 mm. The results show that the presence of pin fins generate considerableenhancementin fluidturbulenceaswellasheattransferareatoamaximumextent of about 53.8%. The maximum average increase in instantaneous thermal efficiency is found to be about 14.2% higher as compared with the base model for the fin diameter of 2.2 mm and a longitudinal pitch value of 30 mm. In terms of effective efficiency, the pin fin array exhibits significant enhancement, especially at lower flow rate conditions. Finally, the effective efficiency of the pin fin array is compared with the previous work of authors involving spherical turbulators and sinewave corrugations on the absorber plate. The results show that the pin fin array exhibits a relatively superior effective efficiency to a maximum extent of about 73% for lower flow rate conditions

Actions (login required)

View Item