Thermal performance of a double-pass solar air heater

This study analyzes the thermal performance of solar thermal energy using double-pass absorber plate in Sanandaj, Iran. To this end, a mathematical model was encoded according to the energy and exergy balance equations and solved by MATLAB software. Given the environmental conditions and radiation intensity of a winter day in Sanandaj, the effects of external parameters such as radiation intensity and internal parameters such as canal’s height, inlet mass flow rate, absorber length as well as some physical parameters on the efficiency of the system were analyzed and the energy and exergy output of the system was studied. To validate the proposed model, the results obtained from numerical simulation were compared with experimental data, which showed an acceptable compatibility. Finally, the ability of the system to supply the thermal load of the building in the given day was examined and the roles of various factors in the area under thermal coverage of this system were analyzed. The obtained findings indicated that a system with an area of 3 m2 and mass rate of 250 kg/hr in radiation intensity of 619 W/m2 and temperature of 3.45° is capable of supplying the thermal load of a space with an approximate area of 14 m2.