Heat Transfer Performance Analysis of a P-Type Ribbed Solar Air Heater (P-SAH)
Abstract
Solar energy offers an effective and sustainable means for a variety of practical uses, including food drying, crop processing, space heating, and air circulation. These processes can be efficiently performed with the help of a Solar Air Heater (SAH). In this work, a comprehensive numerical investigation is carried out on an SAH featuring P-shaped ribs placed on the absorber plate in different transverse arrangements with respect to the airflow. Each rib configuration is examined separately. The simulations are executed using ANSYS Fluent to solve the fundamental conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy. A constant heat flux of 1000 W/m² is applied on the absorber surface. Major influencing factors such as inlet air velocity and rib dimensions (height and pitch) are studied for Reynolds numbers between 3,400 and 20,000, with rib pitches varying from 6.26 to 18.75. The influence of rib geometry on pressure losses is also explored. Flow characteristics are illustrated through contour plots of temperature, pressure, and velocity, providing a clear understanding of the system’s behavior. The findings indicate a considerable improvement in thermal performance, with the best results achieved at a rib pitch of 15.62, corresponding to a Thermal Enhancement Ratio (TER) of 2.35.
Keywords
CFD study, Solar air heater, SST k-ε model, turbulent heat transfer, fluid flow