Effects of Fin Height, Fin Thickness and Reynolds Number on Heat Transfer Enhancement of Flat-Plate Thermal Collector: A Numerical Analysis

Abstract

A flat-plate thermal collector combined with a PV panel also called a PV/T collector is a device that converts solar irradiation into thermal energy and electrical energy simultaneously. The unused thermal energy of the PV/T collector is absorbed by the flat-plate thermal collector. This may then contribute directly to an enhancement of the electrical efficiency of the PV/T collector. In the present study, the effect of geometry and Reynolds Number on the thermal performance of flat-plate thermal collectors is numerically investigated. Thereafter, CFD simulation is then implemented to characterize the thermal performance in terms of absorber temperature and convection heat transfer coefficient. To disturb the fluid flow pattern in this work the 45o inclined fins are attached underneath the surface of the collector model and they act as an absorber. Monthly average weather data of inlet fluid temperature and ambient temperature as well as solar irradiation level implemented in this study were obtained from the Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency of Bandarlampung regency. Several different cases have been considered by varying the fin height from 20 to 80 mm, fin thickness from 1 to 4 mm, and Reynolds number from 1500 to 6000. The results show that increasing the fin geometry (the fin thickness and fin height) and Reynolds Number reduce the flat-plate surface temperature due to the more conductive and convective heat transfer process. However, in terms of the convective heat transfer coefficient parameter, the Reynolds Number implemented has a dominant effect compared to the fin geometry. Moreover, by increasing Reynolds Number by four times, there is a decrease in the mean surface temperature by 26% and an increase in the mean convective heat transfer coefficient of 146% compared to the initial conditions