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Abstract Present study investigates application of cinque-faced rib roughening to improve the efficiency of solar air heaters (SAHs). Research focuses on a novel design, the cinque-faced rib-roughened triangular channel SAH (CFRTCSAH), which incorporates five-faced wire ribs on the absorber plate’s underside. By breaking down the laminar sublayer and enhancing flow separation and reattachment, - ribs significantly enhance heat transfer. It establishes a comprehensive theoretical model to analyze the thermal and hydraulic performance of the CFRTCSAH. The study considers the influence of parameters such as relative roughness pitch (P/e) and relative roughness height (e/Dh) on thermal efficiency and heat removal factor. The results demonstrate that the CFRTCSAH achieves remarkable thermal efficiency, reaching up to 80.7% under optimal roughness parameters (P/e = 12, e/Dh = 0.05). It is found that an increase in mass flow rates positively impacts thermal efficiency but should not exceed 0.09 kg/s for maximum effective efficiency. Additionally, it has observed that the CFRTCSAH performs most effectively when the relative roughness pitch ratio (P/e) is set to 12. A higher relative roughness height (e/Dh) promotes convective heat transfer, enhancing thermal performance, especially at lower mass flow rates. Conclusion presents a novel approach to improving the thermal performance of SAHs by introducing cinque-faced rib roughening. The CFRTCSAH design exhibits significant potential for achieving high thermal efficiency and can contribute to more efficient solar energy utilization in various applications. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of SAHs, promoting sustainable and energy-efficient technologies.
Stalin et al. (Mon,) studied this question.