Volume 11 Issue 2 ( June )

An exhaustive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis has been conducted to assess the performance of a solar air heater employing perforated sine wave baffles. The study focused on four crucial operating parameters: Reynolds number (Re), relative streamwise pitch (Pswe⁄), angle of attack (α), and relative perforation diameter (dPDe⁄). The parameter ranges considered are: Re=3000-18000 (6 values), Pswe⁄=8-14 (4 values), α=100-450(4 values) and dPDe⁄=0.24-0.48 (4 values) while maintaining a constant aspect ratio (W/H) of 12 for the heater. Through meticulous evaluation, the optimal set of geometric parameters has been determined based on three performance-defining factors: Nusselt number (Nupb), friction factor (fpb) and thermo hydraulic performance (η). The findings of this study showcased the enhancements in the heater’s performance. The Nusselt number exhibited a 6.6-fold increase, while the friction factor experienced a substantial 8-fold augmentation. The significant improvement in Nusselt number (Nupb) attributed to the substantial boost in turbulence and the reduction of the viscous layer within the system. Consequently, the maximum thermo hydraulic performance achieved an impressive value of 3.9.

Keywords: Computational fluid dynamics; Heat Transfer; Perforation; Sine wave baffles