Experimental Analysis of Comparative Performance of Conventional and Matrix Aluminium Mesh Wire Absorber Solar air Heater

Abstract

In present work for increasing the performance of solar air heater on aluminium square meshed wire was inserted between both channels in which air is passing and get heated up. An experimental comparison of thermal performance of double pass solar air heater has been conducted by using aluminium mesh wire instead of a flat absorber. It improves the collector efficiency by increasing the air velocity and heat transfer coefficient between absorber plate and air. Research also includes the effect of mass flow rate, wire mesh in the bottom channel and top channel, temperature difference and thermal efficiency. The experiment evaluate that the presence of square wire mesh in the solar air heater rises the outlet temperature ,which furture increases the thermal efficiency and also shows substantial potentiality to heat air in both type solar air heater. In research it has been investigated that solar air heater with aluminium mesh wire (MSAH) has reasonably high performance to heat air compare with conventional solar air heater (CSAH). The maximum difference in temperature was found as 31°C for mass flow rate of 0.00527 kg/s in case of solar air heater with aluminium mesh wire matrix absorber which was about 19% higher compare with conventional solar air heater.