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Computational fluid dynamics analysis of the heat transfer and pressure drop of solar air heater with conic-curve profile ribs

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Abstract

The present study was to investigate the effect of the conic constants of rough geometries and the associated Reynolds numbers on the heat transfer and pressure drop of a solar air heater. An absorber plate attached to multiple conic-curve profile ribs was comprehensively analyzed. The results showed that decreasing the conic constant induced an increase in the Nusselt number and a decrease in the friction factor; therefore, the thermohydraulic performance parameter increased. The friction factor was notably invariable when the conic constant changed in the range of − 0.5 to 0. The maximum thermohydraulic performance parameter occurred at a Reynolds number of 8000, whereas the largest thermogeometric performance parameter occurred at a Reynolds number of 12,000. A regression analysis was performed for the correlations of both the Nusselt number and the friction factor as functions of the Reynolds number and the conic constant. The correlation coefficients of the Nusselt number and friction factor equations were 0.9978 and 0.9351, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, VNU-HCM, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Tu Thien Ngo & Nguyen Minh Phu

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  1. Tu Thien Ngo
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  2. Nguyen Minh Phu
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Correspondence to Nguyen Minh Phu.

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Ngo, T.T., Phu, N.M. Computational fluid dynamics analysis of the heat transfer and pressure drop of solar air heater with conic-curve profile ribs. J Therm Anal Calorim 139, 3235–3246 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-019-08709-4

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