PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF SOLAR AIR HEATER USING INCLINE BAFFLES

To investigate the solar air heater’s (SAH) effectiveness, experiments are conducted using flat plates and artificially roughened plate in terms of Inclined and Winglet baffles over the collector surface. This proposed system collector plate comprises Inclined and Winglet ribs and serves as an artificial roughness generator. Airflow rates of 0.01, 0.02, & 0.03kg/s are used in the experiment. To determine the improvement in the proposed work, the experimental results are compared with flat plate SAH. This proposed work offers greater efficiency, useful energy gain, and lower top heat loss than a conventional SAH. The airflow rate of 0.03kg/s gives the topmost efficiency and useful energy gain. The experimental day’s average efficiency of a SAH with Incline baffles is 32.6 %, 53.6 %, and 61.9 %, respectively, for the flow rates examined. For the same flow rates, it is 37.4 %, 29.6 %, and 24.39 % more effective than a flat surface SAH. For the same investigated air flow rates, the proposed system gains 37.7 %, 27.63 %, and 23.63 % more energy than flat plate SAH. Substantial reductions in Top losses of up to 8.20 %, 6.55 %, & 7.65 % have been reported at the specified flow rates. Energy metrics and economic study performed shows the payback time, Production factor, Life cycle conversion efficiency and economic values of the proposed SAH is optimum.