Energy and Exergy Analysis of Dual Channel Solar Air Collector with Different Absorber Plates Geometry

Abstract

Flat-plate collector considers most common types of collectors, for ease of manufacturing and low price compared with other collectors. The main aim of the present work is to increase the efficiency of the collector, which can be achieved by improving the heat transfer and minimize heat loss experimentally. Five types of solar air collectors have been tested, which conventional channel with a smooth absorber plate (model I), dual channel with a smooth absorber plate (model II), dual channel with perforating “V” corrugated absorber plate (model III), dual channel with internal attached wire mesh (model Ⅳ), and dual channel with absorber sheet of transparent honeycomb, (model Ⅴ). The dual channel collector used for increasing heat transfer area and heat removal factor to improve thermal performance. The outdoor test was conducted during the period December (2016) to February (2017) at different mass flow rates 0.0217 kg/s, 0.0271 kg/s and 0.0325 kg/s. The experiments were carried out from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM for clear days. Experimental results show that the average thermal efficiency was (72.2 %) for model (III), (40.2 %) for model (I), (51.6 %) for model (II), (65.1 %) for model (Ⅳ) and (59.7 %) for model (Ⅴ). At the last part of the study, the exergy analyses were derived for both collectors. The results of this part showed that the conventional channel model (I) is having largest irreversibility, and the dual channel collector model (III) is having a greatest exergetic efficiency.

Keywords

• solar air collector; dual channel; double flow; exergy analysis; heat removal factor.