Effect of artificial coarseness on the performance of rectangular solar air heater duct: a comparative study

Solar air heater is regarded as the most common and popular solar thermal system and has a wide range of applications, from residential to industrial. Solar air heater is not viable because of the low convective heat transfer coefficient at the absorber plate which contributes to decreasing the thermal efficiency. Artificial coarseness on the plain surface is the most effective method to enhance heat transfer with a moderate rate of friction factor of flowing air in the design of solar air heater duct. The different parameters and different artificial coarseness are responsible to alter the flow structure and heat transfer rate. Over the years different artificial roughness and how its geometry affects the performance of solar air heater have been thoroughly studied. Various investigators report the correlations between heat transfer and friction factors. In the present study, a comparison of several artificial coarseness geometries and methods with a view to enhancing the performance of solar air heater has been made. A brief outline has also been presented for future research.