Optimization and evaluation of thermo-hydraulic performance of solar air heaters equipped with different roughness geometries

Solar air heaters have poor thermal efficiency. Applying artificial roughness elements is a common approach to enhance thermal performance of a solar air heater. In this study, fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of solar air heaters equipped with six different roughness geometries, including inline cubical elements, staggered cubical elements, rectangular baffles, square ribs, V-shaped baffles, and V-shaped ribs, were assessed. First, parameters of each roughness geometry were optimized and then thermo-hydraulic performance of solar air heaters having optimum roughness geometries was compared. For each roughness geometry, two design parameters were selected and 25 numerical experiments were designed based on the full factorial design of experiment approach. The thermo-hydraulic performance parameter (THPP) was set out as the objective function and its relationship with roughness parameters was defined using the non-parametric regression response surface method. Finally, the optimum values of roughness parameters were determined using the nonlinear programming by quadratic Lagrangian (NPQL) technique. Comparing the performance of solar air heaters having optimum roughness geometries showed that rectangular baffles led to the largest and inline cubical elements brought about the smallest THPP at almost all Reynolds numbers. The maximum THPP of rectangular baffles was 2.28 at the Reynolds number of 25,000.