Experimental Study on Thermal Performance of a Novel Solar Air Collector Having Conical Springs on Absorber Plate

This study presents a thermal analysis for a novel type of solar air heater. The thermal performance of a solar air collector having conical springs on the absorber plate is determined experimentally. A flat absorber plate (Type I) and the absorber plate with mounted conical springs (Type II) are designed and constructed, and their thermal performance is tested in the collectors. Experiments are performed for air mass flow rates of 0.06 and 0.07 kg/s. Thermal efficiency and collector outlet temperature are the main indicator for determining thermal performance. The efficiencies and energy distribution ratios are determined and compared for the collectors. The results of the experiments show that a substantial enhancement in the thermal efficiency is obtained with conical springs. Also, to this thermal efficiency increases with the rise of mass flow rate.