CFD Analysis on the Thermal Hydraulic Performance of an SAH Duct with Multi V-Shape Roughened Ribs

Abstract: This study presents the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in a rib-roughened SAH (solar air heater) channel. The artificial roughness of the rectangular channel was in the form of a thin circular wire in discrete multi V-pattern rib geometries. The effect of this geometry on heat transfer, fluid flow, and performance augmentation was investigated using the CFD (computational fluid dynamics). The roughness parameters were a relative discrete distance of 0.69, a relative rib height of 0.043, a relative rib pitch of 10, a relative rib width of 6.0, and a flow-attack-angle of 60 ̋. The discrete width ratios and Reynolds numbers ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 and from 2000 to 20,000, respectively. The CFD results using the renormalization k-epsilon model were in good agreement with the empirical relationship. This model was used to investigate the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in the multi V-pattern rib roughened SAH channel. The thermo-hydraulic performance was found to be the best for the discrete width ratio of 1.0. A discrete multi V-pattern rib combined with dimple staggered ribs also had better overall thermal performance compared to other rib shapes.