Empirical correlations development for heat transfer and friction factor of a solar rectangular air passage with spherical-shaped turbulence promoters

Rajesh Maithani, Anil Kumar, Peyman Gholamali Zadeh, Mohammad Reza Safaei, Ehsan Gholamalizadeh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

A study was conducted to enhance the thermo-hydraulic performance of a rectangular solar air passage with integrated spherical-shaped turbulence promoters. The effects of the flow and geometric parameters on heat transfer along with the friction factor were studied. The experiments were carried out with a relevant range of the Reynolds number from 4500 to 16,500, and geometric parameters consisting of the dimensionless spherical-shaped diameter (Ds/ DH) from 0.130 to 0.217, the stream-wise spacing parameter (Xs/ Ds) from 4.04 to 6.47 and the span-wise spacing parameter (Ys/ Ds) from 4.04 to 6.47. An analysis was further carried out to develop empirical correlations for the Nusselt number and the friction factor in terms of geometric parameters and the Reynolds number. Comparisons between results of correlations and the experimental data revealed good agreements. Results showed that, at a specific Reynolds number, the Nusselt number reached a peak at Ds/ DH and Ys/ Ds of 0.195 and 4.62, respectively. An increase in the value of Ds/ DH increases the friction factor, while an increase in (Xs/ Ds) and Ys/ Ds decreased the friction factor. Maximum friction factor for Ds/ DH, (Xs/ Ds) and Ys/ Ds was found at 0.217, 4.04 and 4.04, respectively. In addition, to evaluate the thermo-hydraulic performance, an efficiency parameter called the efficiency factor was calculated. The maximum value of the efficiency factor was 2.98, which occurred at the Reynolds number of 10,500 corresponding to the optimal parameters Ds/ DH = 0.195, Xs/ Ds = 4.04, and Ys/ Ds = 4.62.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1195-1212
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
Volume139
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2020

Keywords

  • Heat transfer
  • Solar air passage
  • Spherical-shaped turbulence promoters
  • Thermo-hydraulic performance

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Empirical correlations development for heat transfer and friction factor of a solar rectangular air passage with spherical-shaped turbulence promoters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this