Thermal performance improvement of solar air heaters using turbulators.
Solar air heater is an active system to achieve space and process heating. The thermal efficiency of solar air heaters is found to be generally poor because of their inherent low heat transfer capability between the absorber plate and working fluid (air). The efficiency of solar air heaters can be e
2025-06-28 16:36:21 - Adil Khan
Thermal performance improvement of solar air heaters using turbulators.
Project Area of Specialization Mechanical EngineeringProject SummarySolar air heater is an active system to achieve space and process heating. The thermal efficiency of solar air heaters is found to be generally poor because of their inherent low heat transfer capability between the absorber plate and working fluid (air). The efficiency of solar air heaters can be enhanced by using turbulators (that create turbulence) of varying shapes and sizes to promote air mixing and achieve greater heat transfer. In the current project, the thermal performance augmentation of heat exchangers used in the solar air heaters will be numerically achieved using different surface enlargement elements
Project ObjectivesThe project objectives are:
Investigation of heat transfer enhancement of the solar air heaters using turbulators of different geometries and sizes.
Comparison of flow field characteristics of solar air heaters with and without turbulators.
Identifying the best combination of different parameters resulting in enhanced thermal performance of solar air heaters.
Development of an advanced research facility in Mechanical Engineering Department to numerically investigate different Thermo-fluids problems.
Publication of high-quality research papers.
Project Implementation MethodThe numerical study of the solar air heaters used in the solar thermal systems requires High Powered Computational machines which are normally known as HPC Clusters. So, firstly an HPC Cluster with specifications suitable to perform numerical simulations of the solar air heaters used in the solar applications will be procured following SPPRA. Secondly, the equipment will be placed and tested after installing Page 3 of 3 necessary software. Thirdly, numerical simulations of solar air heater’s main components with varying sizes and geometries of turbulators will be performed using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) method with different turbulence models available in the open literature. The influence of different parameters e.g. Reynolds number, air temperature, shape and geometry of surface enlargement elements, etc., will be investigated. The numerical simulations include pre-processing (making geometry and meshing of the computational domain), processing (case setup using the given boundary conditions, perform simulations with a set of governing equations and velocity, pressure, temperature and other basic fields) and post-processing (do plotting and calculation of critical parameters). The numerical results will be validated with the published experimental data.
Benefits of the ProjectBenefits of project are ;
The HPC equipment purchased with the project funding will increase the University/Department computational facility and help to execute High Power Computational heat transfer simulations studies.
The development of advanced research facility will help to take different paid industrial projects and generate revenue for the University.
Having the advanced research facility, different national and international research projects can be taken and generate revenue for the University.
The project finding will help the local industry in the design and development of more efficient, compact, lighter and cheaper solar air heaters.
The design of more efficient, compact, lighter and cheaper solar air heater will help to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goal number 13 that is “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” and Goal number 7 that is “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
The local industry and community of Pakistan would be benefitted from the project findings, as efficient and compact devices have the potential to enhance energy conservation and bring a decline in the production of harmful greenhouse gases.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableDesigning a modified absorber plate consisting of turbulators in a solar air heaters using ANSYS simulation software. An enhancement method involving both modifications to the geometry of the absorber plate.The Flow inside the absorber plate which is surrounded by the reciever tube is studied, as greater reynolds number could lead to greater heat transfer yyielding higher efficciency. The heat transfer contours and the values of nusselt number, reynolds number obtained through simulation would verify the use case of employing the said turbulators inside a solar air heater
Final Deliverable of the Project Software SystemCore Industry Energy Other IndustriesCore Technology Clean TechOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Affordable and Clean EnergyRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 70000 | |||
| processor | Equipment | 1 | 17000 | 17000 |
| motherboard | Equipment | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |
| SSD | Equipment | 1 | 8000 | 8000 |
| 32 GB RAM | Equipment | 1 | 20000 | 20000 |
| 1 TB Harddisk | Equipment | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |
| Repairing | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |