Energy
Hadi Farzan; Mohammad Hossein Shahsavari
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 10 February 2024
Abstract
This study analyzes the thermal efficiency of a new perforated cross-flow solar air heater (SAH) integrated with encapsulated phase change material (PCM) by using an experimnetal method. Since SAHs represent low thermal efficiencies, this study introduces a novel SAH that uses two methods to address ...
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This study analyzes the thermal efficiency of a new perforated cross-flow solar air heater (SAH) integrated with encapsulated phase change material (PCM) by using an experimnetal method. Since SAHs represent low thermal efficiencies, this study introduces a novel SAH that uses two methods to address this problem: the perforated absorber with cross-flow configuration and encapsulated latent heat storage (PCM) units. The perforated cross-flow configuration improves the turbulence and, consequently, the heat exchange rate in SAHs and improves instantaneous efficiency. PCM units store thermal energy, prolong the operating period, and increase long-term efficiency. To perform thermal analysis, a perforated SAH with encapsulated PCM units was fabricated and tested outdoors at mair = of 0.012 kg/s and 0.024 kg/s in autumn while ambient and operating parameters were monitored. The experimental data reveal that the outlet temperature reaches the peak value of 38 oC and 32 oC at mair = 0.012 kg/s and 0.024 kg/s, respectively, 12 oC and 6 oC higher than the ambient temperature. During the day, the charge/discharge process occurs in the encapsulated PCM units, avoids sharp temperature gradients and flattens the outlet and absorber temperatures’ profiles. The fabricated SAH reaches the highest thermal efficiency of nearly 83.7% at mair = 0.024 kg/s, which is a suitable value compared to common SAHs.
Energy
H. Farzan; A. A. Abouee-Mehrizi; M. Khazali
Abstract
The current study introduces and analyzes a novel square cross-flow perforated solar air heater (SAH). Since the convection mechanism in SAHs is weak, numerous methods have been suggested to address this problem and improve thermal efficiency. Perforations and cross-flow configuration generate high turbulency ...
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The current study introduces and analyzes a novel square cross-flow perforated solar air heater (SAH). Since the convection mechanism in SAHs is weak, numerous methods have been suggested to address this problem and improve thermal efficiency. Perforations and cross-flow configuration generate high turbulency and, consequently, high convection rate resulted. Hence these methods have been applied to enhance thermal efficiency. To achieve this goal, an experimental setup was fabricated and tested at outdoor conditions for two air mass flow rates (mair) of 0.015 kg/s and 0.03 kg/s while several sensors monitored the collector’s heat dynamics and ambient conditions. The obtained results illustrate that outlet temperature reaches the peak values of 38 oC and 34 oC, which is only 6 oC and 7 oC lower than the maximum absorber temperature. This crucial issue proves a high heat exchange rate in the fabricated SAH that causes the absorber temperature to approach the outlet temperature due to high turbulency. The strong convection mechanism in the fabricated SAH improves daily thermal efficiency, in which its value reaches nearly 78.6% for the mass flow rate of 0.03 kg/s. In conclusion, the square cross-flow perforated SAH is an economy, applicable, compact collector, ensuring high thermal efficiency.
Energy
H. Farzan; M. Mahmoudi; E. Hasan Zaim
Abstract
Solar air heaters (SAHs) have an inherent drawback: the conventional mechanism is low inside these collectors’ types. Use of perforations is a simple technique to improve convection, and this investigation experimentally assesses a novel design SAH utilizing three inclined perforated absorber plates. ...
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Solar air heaters (SAHs) have an inherent drawback: the conventional mechanism is low inside these collectors’ types. Use of perforations is a simple technique to improve convection, and this investigation experimentally assesses a novel design SAH utilizing three inclined perforated absorber plates. Two scenarios are considered to assess the dynamics and efficiency of this perforated SAH, including mair = 0.012 kg/s and 0.024 kg/s. Numerous sensors monitored the dynamics of the perforated SAH and ambient factors for 12 hours in October 2022. The experimental outcomes illustrate that the perforation method remarkably enhances the thermal efficiency of the perforated SAH compared with standard smooth SAHs. The daily thermal efficiency of the perforated SAH reaches 73.30% and 82.65%, while the outlet air temperature experiences peak values of 39 oC and 42 oC at noon and keeps within 90% of its maximum value for 2 hours for the scenarios considered. Improving the convection mechanism causes the flowing air to extract the absorber’s thermal energy more effectively. Hence the SAH can produce an airstream near its maximum temperature for an extended duration. In conclusion, the perforation method is a robust, simple method to boost the thermal efficiency of SAHs.
Energy
M. Mahmoudi; H. Farzan; E. Hasan Zaim
Abstract
Asphalt materials commonly have high absorption coefficients, and their surface temperature reaches as high as 80 oC during daytime hours since their surfaces are exposed to solar radiation for long periods. Hence, asphalt pavements can easily be converted to solar air heaters (SAHs) to collect solar ...
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Asphalt materials commonly have high absorption coefficients, and their surface temperature reaches as high as 80 oC during daytime hours since their surfaces are exposed to solar radiation for long periods. Hence, asphalt pavements can easily be converted to solar air heaters (SAHs) to collect solar energy. Even though asphalt materials have low thermal conductivity, resulting in a weak convection heat exchange rate between the flowing air and asphalt surface. The current experimental study analyzes utilizing aluminum shavings as asphalt coating materials to improve SAHs’ thermal performance. To this aim, a serpentine SAH prototype was constructed, and several sensors were utilized to monitor its dynamic thermal response. Black-painted aluminum shavings were utilized as coating materials to improve the convective heat exchange rate and increase the roughness of the absorber surface. Two scenarios were considered, including the uncoated absorber plate and coated one with 0.2 kg aluminum shavings. The experiments were carried out for two air mass flow rates of 0.02 kg/s and 0.03 kg/s under field conditions. Based on the air mass flow rate, the coated absorber reaches higher temperatures, approximately 5 oC to 9 oC, than the uncoated one. The acquired results illustrate that the coated SAH has nearly 4 oC to 5 oC higher maximum exhaust air temperature; hence, the coating strategy improves the thermal efficiency by 24.75% and 44% in two air mass flow rates of 0.02 kg/s and 0.03 kg/s, respectively.
M. Ameri; H. Farzan; M. Nobari
Abstract
Glass plates have been commonly used as collectors’ covers due to technical feasibility, high transmissivity in shortwave solar irradiation, and low transmissivity in long-wavelengths. However, they are vulnerable to stones and hail. Plastic plates have high transmissivity in shortwaves but also ...
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Glass plates have been commonly used as collectors’ covers due to technical feasibility, high transmissivity in shortwave solar irradiation, and low transmissivity in long-wavelengths. However, they are vulnerable to stones and hail. Plastic plates have high transmissivity in shortwaves but also have transmission bands in the middle of the thermal radiation spectrum. The current study represents an experimental assessment of different covering strategies, including single acrylic-cover, single glass-cover, double glass- acrylic cover, and double glass-cover. Two solar air heaters (SAHs) prototypes were constructed for this study. The acquired experimental runs illustrated that the single glass-covered SAH represents higher thermal performance than the single acrylic-covered SAH due to the lower transmissivity of glass plates in long wavelengths. The double-covered SAHs have higher performance than the similar single-covered SAHs. In the double-covered SAHs, the convective-radiant heat loss is reduced. However, increasing the cover number improves the radiant resistance to solar irradiation and reduces the collector performance when solar irradiation is insufficient and the absorber temperature is low, especially at the beginning of daytime hours. The SAH using a double-glass cover is preferable; however, the heat dynamics of the double glass- acrylic-covered SAH are so close to the double glass-covered one, and the acrylic plate is more resistant to harsh ambient conditions.
H. Farzan; M. Ameri; S. M. Jaafarian
Abstract
Asphalt solar collectors (ASCs) offer a low-cost and reliable alternative to harvest energy from available infrastructures such as roads and pathways by employing the simple techniques. This paper represents an experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous and discontinuous-flow strategies ...
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Asphalt solar collectors (ASCs) offer a low-cost and reliable alternative to harvest energy from available infrastructures such as roads and pathways by employing the simple techniques. This paper represents an experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous and discontinuous-flow strategies in the dynamics and performance of a self-constructed ASC under field conditions. To this aim, an ON/OFF switching controller commands to run and stop the system at different time intervals. During the experimental simulations, all the crucial environmental and operational parameters were measured and monitored. This approach assesses the effects of numerous scenarios with different intervals of time on the dynamics of the constructed collector. Continuous and discontinuous-flow strategies were evaluated by comparing three different scenarios, including continuous-flow mode, 5 min OFF-mode and, 10 min OFF-mode. The results show that by extending the OFF-mode, the water is kept stagnant in the hot embedded pipes for more extended periods. Therefore, the temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of collector reduces, and the water leaves the collector at higher temperatures; however, the efficiency of the ASC decreases. Also, even though extending the OFF-mode results in heated water exits the collector at higher temperatures, but the mass of heated water decreases due to continuous interruption of current flow. The test results prove that in continuous-flow strategy, cumulative heat gain improves. Therefore, the continuous-flow strategy shows higher performance than introduced discontinuous-flow strategy. The exergy analysis illustrates that the available useful exergy has significantly affected by considering the pump consumed energy.
