Performance assessment of rotating spiral-shaped baffles built-in solar air heater: 4E and sustainability analysis
Solar air heaters (SAHs) often face efficiency limitations due to heat transfer challenges. Integrating roughness elements on the absorber plate is a common strategy, but stationary roughness induces hot spots and thermal wake zones, hindering convective heat transfer. To mitigate these issues, this...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25006057 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Solar air heaters (SAHs) often face efficiency limitations due to heat transfer challenges. Integrating roughness elements on the absorber plate is a common strategy, but stationary roughness induces hot spots and thermal wake zones, hindering convective heat transfer. To mitigate these issues, this study investigates a modified SAH with novel rotating spiral-shaped baffles using a 4E framework—energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, and enviroeconomic perspectives. Results demonstrate superior performance, with configurations at P/e = 8 and e/H = 0.8 achieving peak useful heat gains of 156.78 W. The modified SAH attains daily average thermal, exergy, and thermohydraulic efficiencies of 29.55 %, 14.59 %, and 7.24 %, respectively. Exergoeconomic analysis yields a maximum parameter of 0.36 kWh/$ over 30 years, while enviroeconomic assessments indicate a reduction in CO2 emissions from 17.14 to 5.71 kg/year, with carbon credit earnings between $102.86 and $308.57. Future research can further enhance performance through novel storage media, optimized baffle design, intelligent controls, and advanced heat exchangers. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2214-157X |