Performance analysis of a shallow duct flat plate solar air heater with and without porous media

Abstract EN

In this study a flat plate solar air heater with a shallow duct is analyzed experimentally.

The collector consists of a 4.5m long air duct with a (20×5)cm cross-sectional area.

The air duct consists of four channels so that the collector becomes more compact.

The collector is studied under the weather conditions of Hilla city – Iraq with latitude and longitude equal 32.3° N and 44.25° E respectively and it is tilted by 45° with the horizontal plane.

The effect of the air mass flow rate on the collector performance is also studied.The performance of the collector is analyzed with and without porous media stuffing.

The measured parameters are the air and absorber temperatures, air speed and pressure drop.

The temperatures are measured by means of type (K) thermocouples as this type covers the temperature range of the studied system.

The values of the temperature are displayed by temperature data logger devices.

The air speed and pressure drop are measured by digital anemometer and manometer devices respectively.

The results of the studied system show that as the air mass flow rate increases, the temperature of both the flowing air and the absorber decrease, whilst the efficiency of the collector increases.

The results also show that the addition of the steel wool porous material inside the air duct increases the temperature of both the flowing air and the absorber, and by that increases the efficiency of the collector.

The porous media also caused an increase in the pressure drop between the outlet air and the atmosphere.

This pressure drop increased with the increase in the air mass flow rate