Numerical Heat Transfer Investigation in Solar Air Heater Channel with Wavy-Baffles

Abstract:

A numerical study is conducted to investigate the turbulent periodic flow and heat transfer characteristics in a channel fitted with sinusoidal wavy-baffles placed on upper and lower walls. The finite volume method is introduced and implemented with the SIMPLE algorithm. The flow structure, friction factor and heat transfer characteristics for different wavy-baffle configurations are evaluated. According to numerical result, the maximum thermal performance is found to be 1.22–1.66 times to smooth channel corresponding to the baffle a/H=0.75 and b/H=0.10. Consequently, the application of wavy-baffles can be utilized effectively to enhance the thermal performance of solar air heater.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 1051)
• Pages: 808-812
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.1051.808
• Online since: October 2014
• Authors: Pongjet Promvonge*, Watcharin Noothong, Chinaruk Thianpong
• Keywords: Friction Factor, Heat Transfer, Numerical, Solar Air Heater, Turbulent Flow, Wavy-Baffle

References

[1] B. Bhushan and R. Singh, Nusselt number and friction factor correlations for solar air heater duct having artificially roughened absorber plate, Sol. Energy 85 (2011) 1109-1118.

DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2011.03.007

[2] S. Eiamsa-ard and P. Promvonge, Thermal characteristics of turbulent rib-grooved channel flows, Int. Commun. Heat Mass 36 (2009) 705-711.

DOI: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2009.03.025

[3] Y. Rao, C. Wan, S. Zang, An experimental and numerical study of flow and heat transfer in channels with pin fin-dimple combined arrays of different configurations, J. Heat Trans-T. ASME, 134 (2012) 121901.

DOI: 10.1115/1.4006943

[4] A. Kumar, J.L. Bhagoria, R.M. Sarviya, Heat transfer and friction correlations for artificially roughened solar air heater duct with discrete W-shaped ribs, Energ. Convers. Manage. 50 (2009) 2106-2117.

DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2009.01.025

[5] S. Sripattanapipat and P. Promvonge, Numerical analysis of laminar heat transfer in a channel with diamond-shaped baffles, Int. Commun. Heat Mass 36 (2009) 32-38.

DOI: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2008.09.008

[6] P. Promvonge, Heat transfer and pressure drop in a channel with multiple 60° V-baffles, Int. Commun. Heat Mass 37 (2010) 835-840.

DOI: 10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2010.04.003

[7] H.K. Versteeg and W. Malalasekera, An introduction to computational fluid dynamics: the finite volume method, second ed., Prentice Hall, London, (2007).

[8] F.P. Incropera, Fundamentals of heat and mass transfer, sixth ed., John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, (2007).