Testing and evaluation methods to determine an optimal air-flow rate in flat-plate solar collectors

1979 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. HEWITT, JR. ◽  
E. GRIGGS
1979 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 357-362
Author(s):  
H. C. Hewitt ◽  
E. I. Griggs

1984 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Mohamad Jamil ◽  
Prof. Madya Amer Nordin Darus

A computer routine to calculate the thermal performance of several different low temperature types of flat-plate air heaters is to be discussed. Analysis of each type is also described. The programme accepts as input real or simulated flux, collector geometry, air flow rate and enviromental data. It computes temperatures and extracts energy as a function of time of the day. The programme evaluates radiation,convection, conduction and wind losses, and the radiation exchange with the enviromental conditions.The procedure used in the derivation of the governing equations is also described. The prediction of performance provided by this programme is particularly useful in comparing performances of different collectors and for studying a specific collector's performance with changes in enviroment and design parameters which can be controlled to some extent by the designer.


Author(s):  
Greg Barker ◽  
Kosol Kiatreungwattana

Transpired solar collectors are simple and cost-effective devices suited for preheating ventilation air for buildings. They work by drawing outside air through a south-facing perforated metal absorber. The absorber is heated by solar radiation, heat is transferred to the air as it is drawn through the perforations in the absorber, and the pre-heated air is delivered to the building. Often overlooked in the design of transpired collector systems is the effect on collector efficiency of pressure drop across the absorber. The pressure drop is a function of the air flow rate through the perforations, the overall porosity of the absorber, and the properties of the air. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a series of laboratory tests to characterize the pressure drop as a function of the relevant parameters for six commercially-available absorber configurations; three porosities in aluminum and three in steel. Each absorber material is roll-punched to one of three depths to create absorbers with three different porosities. Pressure drop, air flow rate, air temperature, and air relative humidity data were collected during the tests. The data were fit to a model that can be used to predict pressure drop across the absorber as a function of air properties and flow rate. Use of these correlations is expected to aid designers in ensuring that transpired collector systems are designed for optimal thermal efficiency and cost effectiveness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thanh Luan ◽  
Nguyen Minh Phu

In this paper, different flow configurations of multipass flat-plate air collectors are explored. Multiple passes are formed from glass cover, absorber plate, and back plate. Five types of air collectors were analysed and optimized with respect to maximum efficiencies and minimum cost. The analytical prediction of the heat exchanger, pressure loss, and efficiencies was presented. The effects of mass flow rate from 0.01 to 0.02 kg/s, air channel depth from 15 to 30 mm, and collector length from 1.5 to 2.5 m on different configurations were examined and compared. The results of the parametric study show that the triple-pass type has the greatest efficiency, whereas the smallest efficiency is of the single-pass type. Among double-pass types, the type with two glass covers and natural convection heat transfer achieved the highest effective and exergy efficiencies due to a reduction in the top loss. Double-pass type with single glass cover is not recommended from both energy and exergy standpoints. As the collector length increases, the effective efficiency decreases, but the exergy efficiency increases. The exergy performance of the triple-pass type can reach up to 5% at the air flow rate of 0.005 kg/s. Finally, multiobjective optimization using the preference selection index method is conducted with three targets including effective efficiency, exergy efficiency, and number of plates. Optimal results show that the triple-pass type with the lowest air flow rate and the longest length is the best. The effective and exergy efficiencies for the best case were found to be about 52.1% and 4.7%, respectively. However, this type with the highest flow rate and the shortest length is the worst.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174425912098418
Author(s):  
Toivo Säwén ◽  
Martina Stockhaus ◽  
Carl-Eric Hagentoft ◽  
Nora Schjøth Bunkholt ◽  
Paula Wahlgren

Timber roof constructions are commonly ventilated through an air cavity beneath the roof sheathing in order to remove heat and moisture from the construction. The driving forces for this ventilation are wind pressure and thermal buoyancy. The wind driven ventilation has been studied extensively, while models for predicting buoyant flow are less developed. In the present study, a novel analytical model is presented to predict the air flow caused by thermal buoyancy in a ventilated roof construction. The model provides means to calculate the cavity Rayleigh number for the roof construction, which is then correlated with the air flow rate. The model predictions are compared to the results of an experimental and a numerical study examining the effect of different cavity designs and inclinations on the air flow rate in a ventilated roof subjected to varying heat loads. Over 80 different test set-ups, the analytical model was found to replicate both experimental and numerical results within an acceptable margin. The effect of an increased total roof height, air cavity height and solar heat load for a given construction is an increased air flow rate through the air cavity. On average, the analytical model predicts a 3% higher air flow rate than found in the numerical study, and a 20% lower air flow rate than found in the experimental study, for comparable test set-ups. The model provided can be used to predict the air flow rate in cavities of varying design, and to quantify the impact of suggested roof design changes. The result can be used as a basis for estimating the moisture safety of a roof construction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahrbanoo Hamedi ◽  
M. Mehdi Afsahi ◽  
Ali Riahi-Madvar ◽  
Ali Mohebbi

AbstractThe main advantages of the dried enzymes are the lower cost of storage and longer time of preservation for industrial applications. In this study, the spouted bed dryer was utilized for drying the garden radish (Raphanus sativus L.) root extract as a cost-effective source of the peroxidase enzyme. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the individual and interactive effects of main parameters (the inlet air temperature (T) and the ratio of air flow rate to the minimum spouting air flow rate (Q)) on the residual enzyme activity (REA). The maximum REA of 38.7% was obtained at T = 50 °C and Q = 1.4. To investigate the drying effect on the catalytic activity, the optimum reaction conditions (pH and temperature), as well as kinetic parameters, were investigated for the fresh and dried enzyme extracts (FEE and DEE). The obtained results showed that the optimum pH of DEE was decreased by 12.3% compared to FEE, while the optimum temperature of DEE compared to FEE increased by a factor of 85.7%. Moreover, kinetic parameters, thermal-stability, and shelf life of the enzyme were considerably improved after drying by the spouted bed. Overall, the results confirmed that a spouted bed reactor can be used as a promising method for drying heat-sensitive materials such as peroxidase enzyme.


Author(s):  
Ari Kettunen ◽  
Timo Hyppa¨nen ◽  
Ari-Pekka Kirkinen ◽  
Esa Maikkola

The main objective of this study was to investigate the load change capability and effect of the individual control variables, such as fuel, primary air and secondary air flow rates, on the dynamics of large-scale CFB boilers. The dynamics of the CFB process were examined by dynamic process tests and by simulation studies. A multi-faceted set of transient process tests were performed at a commercial 235 MWe CFB unit. Fuel reactivity and interaction between gas flow rates, solid concentration profiles and heat transfer were studied by step changes of the following controllable variables: fuel feed rate, primary air flow rate, secondary air flow rate and primary to secondary air flow ratio. Load change performance was tested using two different types of tests: open and closed loop load changes. A tailored dynamic simulator for the CFB boiler was built and fine-tuned by determining the model parameters and by validating the models of each process component against measured process data of the transient test program. The know-how about the boiler dynamics obtained from the model analysis and the developed CFB simulator were utilized in designing the control systems of three new 262 MWe CFB units, which are now under construction. Further, the simulator was applied for the control system development and transient analysis of the supercritical OTU CFB boiler.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document