Satur Emerg ot 1.961S-91, Pergamon Pres. Prati Gret Ban THERMAL AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE OVERLAPPED-GLASS PLATE SOLAR-AIR HEATER K. SELCUK* (Received 2 June 1968; in revised form 8 December 1969) ‘Abstract—The heat transfer analysis of the overlapped-glass plate air heater was based on the quasi-steady State performance and was carried out in two steps. Inthe first step, the glass plaes were assumed to absor> {the short-wave solar radiation, but the long-wave emission from the plas was ignored. In the second step. the approximate glass temperatures obtained from the first-step solution were used in the exact determination ‘of the long-wave radiation exchange between the glass plates; therefore, improved results were obtained. ‘The computer programs in Fortran IV were run on IBM 70¢4 and 360 0/5 computers: convective lm coefMeients. Reynolds numbers and boundary-layer thicknesses were determined along the gass plates ‘hroughout the whole collector. Further refinement was aliained by considering axial heat conduction within the glass plates and the change inthe kinematic viscosity of ar along the glass plates, due to temperature variation The air and glass plate temperatures were calculated by taking into account the uneven distribution Of the incoming airstream between the glass plates, obtained from a water table analogy. The model was Constructed abd tested under clear-sky conditions at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. ‘The air and plass temperatures were meauured on each plate using copper-conslanian thermocouples. The total ai-flow rate was measured Using a Venturi-Herschell tube, The solar radiation intenaty was measured using « Kipp and Zonen actinomeer and a elicon solar cell pyranometer. The cout analysis ofthe collector ‘was caried out for various pass plate lengths, spacings interest raes, thee different levels of 1tal sundhine hours, ten years of expected life, and cost figures based upon the local market prices and salary rates reported in Turkey, ‘Résumé L'analyse du transfert de chaleur d'un radiateur solaire & plagues de verre se chevauchant a bbasée sur la performance on état quasi stable et a if eflectuée en deux étapes. Au cours de la premigre Grape, on a seulement considéré I absorption, par les plaques de verre, des radiations solaires en ondes courtes, alors que Témission d'ondes longues & partir des plaques était igorée. Dans la deuxitme tape, fn s'est servi des temperatures approximatives du verre obwenues des résultats de la premiere Giape, pout ‘éuerminer exactement Féchange des radiations en ondes longues entre les plaques de verre; cette operation 1 donné de meilleurs résuhats. Les programmes dordnateur en Fortran IV ont é traités sur ordinateurs IBM 7044 et 360 OS; les coeficients de convection des fms, les nombres de Reynold et ls épasseurs en couche limite ont été déterminés le long des plaques de verre pour l'ensemble du collecteur. D'aures pre Clsions ont été obtenues en considérant la convection axiale de a chaleur al intéricur des plaques de verre et Je changement dans ts cinématique de viscosité de Tair le long des plaques de verre, di ila variation de température. Les températures de I'ir et des plaques de verre ont 4 calcuées en tenant compte de la réparition inggale du courant d'enirée de Tair entre les plaques de verre résulias obtenus par analogie avec ln mappe phréatque. Le modele » €€ comsirult et mis # Tessa sous un ciel us clair 2 TUniverse Technique du Moyen-Orient, Ankara, Turguie. Les températures de lair et du verre ont été mesurtes sur chaque plaque avec des thermocouples en cuivre-constantan. Le débit total daira été mesuré avec un tube ‘VenturisHerschell. Lintensité des radiations solaires a 6té mesurée avec un actinometre Kipp et Zonen CM-I et un pyranométre pile solare au silicium, L'analyse du cot du collecteur a été entreprise pour diverses longueurs des plaques de verre, espacement, aux d'ntérét, trois niveaux diférentes dheures de Plein soleil, durée présumée de dix ans et frais basés sur les prix du marché local et le taux des slaires en Turauie ‘Resumen La termotransferencia del caleatador de aire con placas de vidrio sobrepuestas fué analizada en base al rendimiento en estado cunsipermanente. efectuéndose el andlsis en dos etapas. Para Ia primers de 4ésias se asumié que las placas de vidro absorbian la radiacign solar de Ondas cortas, peo te hizo caso omizo 4e Ia emision de ondas largas procedente de las placas, En la segunda etapa fueron utlizadas las tempers- ‘Mechanical Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey (formerly ‘at Brace Research Insite, McGill University, Montreal, Canada),166, K. SELGUK ‘uras aproximadas del vidio, obtenidas a partir de ls resultados de la primera etapa, en orden a la deter ‘minacidn exacta del intereambio de radiaciones de ondas largas entre las placas: lograndose con ello mejores resultados. Los programas computador, confeccionados en Fortran IV. fueron alimentados a miqUinas IBM 7044 y 360 OS. Se determinaron los coeficentes de las peliculas convectivas los nimeros de Reyaolds Y espesores de capa limite a lo largo de las placas de vidrio en todo el eaptador. Se consiguis una informacién ‘nds detalada al considerar la conduccion térmica axial dentro de las placas de vidrio. as{ como el cambio producido en la viscosidad cinemética del aire lo largo de ls placas como consecuencia de la variacién Ge la temperatura. Las temperaturas del aire y de las placas de vidrio fueron calculadasteniendo en cuenta la distrbucion desigual de la corriente de aire entrante ene dichas placas, informacién obtenida a part de una analogia de capa fredtica. El modelo fué construido y sometido a prueba bajo cielo despejado en la Universidad Técnica de Oriente Medio, de Ankara (Turquia. Se midieron las temperaturas del aire y del Vidrio en cada placa mediante termopares de cobre~constantan, el caudal total del aire por medio de un tubo Venturi-Harschell y la intensidad Ge ia radiacion solar con ayuda de un actindmetro Kipp and Zonen (CM-I y de un pirandmetro de silicio propio para plas solares. Se practicé un andlisis del coste del captador. fen funcign a diferentes longitudes de placas de vidro, espaciadesy tipos de interés, tes dstntosniveles de horas totales de luz solar, diez aos de duracion prevstay cifras de coste basadas en los precios de venta ¥ tipos salaries comunicados en Turquis. INTRODUCTION ‘One oF the ways in which solar engineering might be most usefully applied, in the rural areas of Turkey and other countries with similar climates, is in the supply of heated air for the drying of fruit. In the search for a suitable design of solar heat collector for this purpose, the system first proposed by Miller(1] and successfully used by Lf in the Colorado Solar House in Denver. Colorado[2], appeared to be the most feasible. Furthermore, the mathematical study of the heat transfer characteristics seemed interesting from a theoretical point of view. Since the problem had not been previously thoroughly investigated, and since the dimensions of the collector and other perform- ‘ance parameters had not been optimized(3], the present research project was planned to extend the theoretical analysis of the physical processes involved and to correlate the latter with experimental measurements. OBJECT ‘The aim of the project was to formulate the heat transfer relations for the collector, to solve them, and to optimize the design features such as glass length, spacing etc., to satisfy the criteria of maximum thermal efficiency and minimum economic cost. DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM The collector consists of a series of overlapped parallel glass plates. The lowermost is blackened and the rear of the unit is insulated (Fig. 1). Air is blown from the lower ‘end to the upper, thus the circulation is also enhanced by natural draft, especially at low velocities. ‘The passages are streamlined and honeycomb cells are used to direct and ensure uniform flow. FORMULATION, FORTRAN PROGRAMING AND SOLUTION Formulation without radiant heat exchange between glass plates ‘As a starting point, the dimensions of the collector described in 1] was chosen and the following transversally lumped but axially differential formulation was obtained tunder the light of principles outlined in{4}. Systems or control volumes are shown in Fig.2. ‘The unsteady-state heat transfer equations are summarized in Eqs. (1)=(8).