Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (2020) 140:2397–2408

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-019-08952-9

Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel

V‑groove absorber plate with pin‑fins for drying agricultural products:
an experimental study
P. Sudhakar1 · M. Cheralathan1

Received: 18 March 2019 / Accepted: 25 October 2019 / Published online: 14 November 2019
© Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary 2019

Abstract
An experimental investigation of a novel V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins on double-pass solar air collector was made
to study the enhancement of thermal performance. The objective of this work is to develop a solar air collector for drying
agricultural products with enhanced heat transfer rate by employing pin-fins on V-groove absorber plate under varied con-
figurations. The parameters that influence the instantaneous thermal efficiency of the collector are discussed, and obtained
results are compared with a conventional V-groove absorber plate for same mass flow rate values. Energy and exergy analyses
were also carried out. The results show that the efficiency of the collector depends strongly on the flow rate. Also, it is noted
that for a flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1, the novel V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins installed on both sides exhibits extended
heat transfer area, thereby a rise in average thermal efficiency by 17.4%.

Keywords Solar air collector · V-groove absorber plate · Pin-fins · Efficiency · Heat transfer coefficient · Solar drying
List of symbols Greek letters
Ac Collector surface area ­(m2) (τα) Product of solar transmittance and absorption ratio
Cp Specific heat of air (kJ kg−1 ­K−1) η Collector efficiency
E Energy (kW) ηII Second law efficiency
Ex Exergy (kW)
Subscripts
Ic Solar radiation (W m−2)
a Ambient
Ir Irreversibility (kW)
c Collector
m Mass flow rate (kg s−1)
i Inlet
Nu Nusselt number
o Outlet
Pr Prandtl number
d Destruction
Qu Useful heat gain (kW)
gen Generation
Re Reynolds number
S Entropy (kJ kg−1 K−1)
T Temperature (°C)
Introduction
∆T Temperature difference (°C)
W Work (kW)
All over the world, various measures are being initiated to
k Thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)
improve the share of renewable energy in the global energy
mix. India, being a tropical country, is blessed with abundant
sunshine throughout the year, and therefore, effective utili-
* M. Cheralathan zation of solar energy for thermal applications has been a
cheralathanm@gmail.com focal point of research. Solar air collectors have a significant
P. Sudhakar place among various other solar heating systems because of
sudhaakar.68@gmail.com its potential for low to moderate temperature applications,
1 especially in drying agricultural products. The advance-
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM
Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, ment made in solar air collectors in the past few years has
Tamil Nadu 603203, India made its construction inexpensive and simple thus driving

13
Vol.:(0123456789)
2398
increased use of this form of renewable energy. They are the
most commonly used form of heat exchangers in which heat
energy is transferred from the surface of the hot absorber to
the air moving through the system. The hot air generated
from it may be used in a wide range of heating and drying
applications.
Karmare and Tikekar [1] reported that artificial rough-
ness at the bottom of absorber plate of the solar air col-
lector increases the transfer of heat from the plate to the
air. They have reported a 30% raise in heat transfer for the
58° rib inclination plate in comparison with smooth plate.
Manjunath et al. [2] carried out CFD analyses to assess the
effect of spherical turbulence on improving the heat transfer
of conventional solar air heaters. In comparison with the
base model with a diameter of 25 mm and a ratio of pitch to
diameter of three, the average increase in thermal efficiency
at Reynolds number 23,560 is approximately 23.4%. The
Nusselt number increased 2.5 times than that for the base
model. Hachemi [3] employed a fan-blown absorber plate
and compared its performance to that with rectangular fins.
The heat transfer is observed to increase with the decrease
in the gap between the fins. The thermal energy performance
was found to vary with the fluid flow rate. For the solar air
collector with a fluid mass flux G = 50 kg h−1 m−2 and plate
length of 10 cm, they have reported an efficiency value of
38.6% with a plane absorber plate and an increased value of
75.5% for that with a finned absorber plate. El-Sawi et al.
[4] also obtained and compared the efficiency values of flat
plate absorbers, V-grooved and chevron-type absorbers. The
chevron pattern is found to have higher performance with
an improvement of thermal efficiency by up to 20% and
outlet temperature by 10 °C at certain ranges of mass flow
rates. Ramani et al. [5] reported that for solar air collectors
containing porous absorbing material in double-pass mode,
the thermal performance is 25% higher than without porous
absorbing material and 35% higher than the single-pass col-
lector. Air collector is the vital component of any solar air
heating system, and hence, the heat transfer enhancement
in the air collector would result in better performance of the
overall system. In this study, the novel V-groove absorber
plate is installed with pin-fins on both the top and bottom
surfaces. Pin-fins encompass the property to absorb solar
energy in sensible heat form and retain it for longer duration.
Besides, the vantage positions of the pin-fins extend the heat
transfer area of the collector on both sides. Extended heat
transfer area enhances thermal efficiency of the collector
by rendering large heat transfer coefficient for a given mass
flow rate, thereby reducing heat losses. Pin-fins exhibit long
durability and can be easily fabricated at affordable cost.
Different configurations of solar air heaters studied by vari-
ous researchers are shown in Table 1.
Design of the absorber plate is a decisive factor that con-
trols the economics of solar heating. The literature study
13
P. Sudhakar, M. Cheralathan
shows that many of the research works reported on solar
air collector were carried out by employing roughened sur-
faces and obstacles, V-shaped absorber plates and absorber
plates with longitudinal fins, which focuses on enhancing
the heat transfer surface area. To the extent of the author’s
knowledge, experimental study on solar air collector with
V-groove employing pin-fins has not been reported so far.
The idea of usage of pin-fins is to increase the heat transfer
surface area within the V-groove, which will enhance the
absorptance rate and in turn improve the thermal perfor-
mance even at the lowest mass flow rate.
The main objective of the present work is to study the
performance improvement of solar air collector by employ-
ing V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins for drying agri-
cultural products. V-groove absorber plate with different
configurations is considered in this study. Experimental tests
were carried out in actual solar radiation conditions, and the
results obtained are compared and discussed in detail. The
objectives were achieved through a thorough examination of
the germane literature, design and fabrication of four differ-
ent absorber plates and thermal performance tests. The per-
formance of the collectors with four different absorber plates
was evaluated in double-pass mode. The results obtained are
useful for designing solar air collector for drying agricultural
products.
Experimental set up
A photographic view and layout of the constructed double
flow solar collector with solar dryer are shown in Fig. 1a, b,
respectively. In the experimental study, four different types
of heat absorber plates of the solar collector were used.
Table 2 lists the type of each of the absorber plates.
The absorber plates are made up of aluminum sheet of
dimensions 1.2 m × 0.855 m × 0.005 m. The heat absorber
of the solar air collector was constructed using 2-mm-thick
V-groove-shaped absorber plate with pin-fins made of alu-
minum and painted black. The solar collector unit comprises
of air flow channel capsulated by transparent glass. A sin-
gle layer of transparent glass sheet with a surface area of
1020 mm × 850 mm and with a thickness of 5 mm is used
for glazing. For wavelengths of 0.2–2.0 μm, the transmit-
tance exceeds 0.7 and is opaque to wavelengths greater than
4.5 μm. The collector’s effective glazing area is 0.8 m2. The
absorber plates are mounted with pin-fins of size 0.008 m
diameter and 0.05 m height and are arranged equidistantly
in 5 × 11 matrix form. Type I absorber plates have no fins,
whereas Type II and Type III are mounted with 55 fins on
the top and at the bottom, respectively. Type IV has 55 pin-
fins on both (top and bottom) sides. A photographic view
of V-groove absorber plates with and without pin-fins is
shown in Fig. 2a, b. The thermal loss from the back cover
Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel V-groove absorber plate…
Table 1  Different configurations and air flow patterns of solar air collectors
Author name
Esen [8]
Öztürk and Demirel [10]
Gupta and Kaushik [12]
Aldabbagh et al. [17]
Ozgen et al. [13]
Gao et al. [14]
Kurtubas and Turgut [6]
Gupta and Kaushik [7]
Ucar and Inalli [9]
Omojaro and Aldabbagh [16]
Deniz et al. [22]
Peng et al. [23]
Karim and Hawlader [20]
Liu et al. [15]
Karim and Hawlader [19]
Ali [11]
Naphon [21]
Fudholi et al. [18]
Arulkumar et al. [24]
Shivakumar et al. [25]
Khanlari et al. [27]
Type of absorber plate
Flat plate SAH (solar air heater) with and without
obstacles
SAH with flow channel and packed with Rash rig
ring
Artificially roughened SAH with extended metal
mesh on the absorber plate
Flat plate absorber with steel wire mesh layers
Flat plate SAH with aluminum cans in the double-
pass channel
Cross-corrugated absorber plate
Flat plate absorber with free and fixed fins
Review of SAH with fins, baffles and V-corrugated Artificial roughness increases efficiency up to 62%.
absorber plates
Solar air collector with staggered absorber sheets
and fins attached on absorber surface
Single and double-pass SAH with fins attached steel For a given flow rate, efficiency of double-pass is
wire mesh as absorber plate
Comparison of three dissimilar types of SAH with
and without fins
SAH with pin-fins array collector and flat plate
collector
SAH with finned and V-corrugated absorber plate
Solar air collector with V-groove absorber plate
V-groove solar air collector for drying applications
Solar collector with offset rectangular plate fins
absorber plate
Double-pass SAH with longitudinal fins.
Double-pass SAH with longitudinal fins
Forced convection solar air heater flat/flat with pin- The efficiency of solar air collector with pin-fins and
fin absorber plate packed with paraffin wax storage
Forced convection solar air heater flat/flat with pin- The thermal efficiency of the solar air collector with
fin absorber plate.
Parallel pass solar air collector having flat absorber Absorber plate with double baffles was found to have
plate with and without baffles
2399
Inference
Collector with obstacles provides significant improve-
ment in thermal performance
Significant increase in net energy efficiency and
exergy efficiency with the usage of packed SAH
For low Re value and high solar radiation, exergy
augmentation is high
For a flow rate of 0.038 kg s−1, double-pass air collec-
tors recorded maximum efficiency of 83.65%
For a flow rate of 0.05 kg s−1, efficiency was highest
for absorber plate with zigzag aluminum cans
Cross-corrugated SAHs have much higher thermal
performance than a flat plate absorber
In terms of energy and exergy loss ratio, fixed fin col-
lectors have better efficiency over free fin collectors
V-corrugated absorber plate is more efficient than
absorber plates with fins and baffles
10–30% rise in collector performance in comparison
with conventional solar collector
more than single-pass by 7–19.4%
Thermal efficiency of finned collector is more than
that of SAH without fins
Pin-fin array collector has three times more heat trans-
fer coefficient than flat plate collector
V-corrugated collector is 10–15% more effectual in
single-pass and 5–11% more effectual in double-
pass mode
Thermal performance of V-groove collector is con-
siderably superior to flat plate collector. Small-sized
V-groove absorber plate was suggested for high
absorptivity of solar radiation
An optimum mass flow rate of 0.035 kg m−2 s−1 is
suggested for drying applications with V-groove
absorber plate for maximum efficiency
Simulation and experimental results show that the
efficiency is relatively high when the flow rate is low
(85.5 kg h−1)
Simulated result predicts that efficiency of double-
pass SAH increases with increasing the number and
height of the fins.
The efficiency of the collector strongly depends on the
flow rate and increases with increase in number and
height of the fins
paraffin as storage is 3–35% higher than the flat plate
collector. Neural network simulation validated with
experimental work. Storage exists 3 h longer with
2–5 °C temperature
pin-fins is 3–12% higher than the flat plate collector
and exergy efficiency is also higher by 2–11%
better thermal efficiency in range 71.12–75.11% and
the highest instantaneous efficiency was obtained for
the same as 84.03%
13
2400 P. Sudhakar, M. Cheralathan

Table 1  (continued)
Author name Type of absorber plate Inference

Eltawil et al. [28] Flat plate solar air collector with PV system in solar
dryer
Sevik et al. [26] Double-pass solar air dryer with and without IR
energy using finned absorber plate
Kareem et al. [29] Multi-pass solar heating collector system (MPSHC)
with granite sensible energy storage
Drying efficiency of 30.71% was recorded for pepper-
mint and the drying time varied from 210 to 360 min
Through the use of IR energy, the drying times in
autumn have been found to be almost the same
as in summer. The highest thermal efficiency was
obtained as 83.56%
The collector and drying efficiency achieved is
64.08% and 36.22%. This dryer is 21 h faster than
open sun drying

(a)

(b) Pyranometer
Connector box

fin
pin
with
Data collector te
Desktop pla
er
rb
so
ab Drying
ve
oo chamber
Absorber plate gr
V
th
r wi
cto
lle
r co
Sola

Flow control valve

Blower

Fig. 1  a Photographic view of the tested solar collector with dryer. b Schematic diagram of the experimental setup

13
Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel V-groove absorber plate… 2401

Table 2  Types of V-groove collector with air flow directions

Glass Cover
Type I V-groove Double-pass
without pin- Air in flow
(Conventional
fins. type)

Bottom

Type II V-groove Glass Cover Double-pass

with pin- with 55 pin-fins
Air in flow
fins at the
top.

Bottom

Type III V-groove Glass Cover Double-pass

with pin- with 55 pin-fins
Air in flow
fins at the
bottom.

Bottom

Type IV V-groove Glass Cover Double-pass

with pin- with 110 pin-
Air in flow
fins on top fins
and bottom.

Bottom

is caused by conduction across the insulation of thickness
50 mm. Further losses occurred due to radiation and wind
are negligible. The specifications of the solar air collector
are given in Table 3.
Experimental procedure
After installation of each collector, the thermocouples were
evenly placed at identical positions on the top surface of all
absorber plates on the direction of flow. Air temperature at
inlet and outlet, ambient temperature and surface temperature
of the absorber plates were measured by K-type thermocou-
ples of 0.1% accuracy. All the data were fed into data logger
(Make: Keysight, 20 channels, model no: 34972A). The inci-
dent solar radiation on the collector’s surface was recorded
with Sunshine-type SPN1 pyranometer with 5% accuracy
which is placed on the glass cover. The variables measured
were recorded at time interval of 30 min. A radial fan of
power 0.573 kW placed at the inlet was used to supply air,
and the flow rate of air was measured using vane type digital

13
2402 P. Sudhakar, M. Cheralathan

An uncertainty analysis was carried out to determine the

fractional uncertainty of mass flow rate.
To find out the fractional uncertainty for mass flow rate,
the following equation is used:
[( )2 ]1∕2
𝜔ṁ 𝜔T a ( 𝜔 )2
= + P
. (3)
ṁ Ta P

The solar collector’s efficiency is the ratio of energy gain

to the incident of solar radiation on the collector plate and
is calculated as:
( )
̇ p T o − Ti
mC
𝜂= (4)
Ic Ac

where ṁ is mass flow rate, Cp is specific heat, Ic is solar

radiation, Ac is area of t collector.
Fig. 2  V-groove absorber plate: a with pin-fins, b without pin-fins
An uncertainty analysis was also carried out to determine
the fractional uncertainty of efficiency.
The fractional uncertainty for efficiency is calculated
anemometer-type AN4 with 0.01% accuracy. Table 4 provides from the following equation:
the technical properties of the measuring instruments.
[ )2 ]1∕2
𝜔η 𝜔Ic
( 𝜔 )2 (𝜔 )2 (
Uncertainty analysis = ṁ
+ ΔT
+ (5)
η ṁ ΔT Ic
The equation for the mass flow rate is
where efficiency is a function of ∆T, ṁ , Ic. Cp and Ac are
ṁ = 𝜌Ac V. (1) constants.
As density of air (ρ) depends on temperature and pressure, Fractional uncertainty is calculated using the mean value
the relationship between them can be estimated as: obtained for all the days. The mean value of the dependent
variables ∆T, Ti, To, Ta, ṁ , Ic and η were found to be 15 °C,
ṁ = f (V, T, P) (2) 41 °C, 54.01 °C, 35.5 °C, 0.055 kg s−1, 917.5 W m−2 and
54.09%, respectively. The fractional uncertainty of mass

Table 3  Specifications of the Solar air collector Specifications

solar air collector
Type Double-pass
Box 1.2 m × 0.855 m × 0.5 m
Absorber plate (V-groove) 1.2 m × 0.855 m × 0.005 m, aluminum, painted black with absorptivity 0.95
Cover 5-mm-thick glass of transmittance 0.9
Fan 0.573 kW
Thermal insulation Glass wool—50 mm thickness at the bottom, 25 mm thickness on the sides
with k = 0.032 W m−1 ­K−1

Table 4  Properties of Instrument Quantity Make—model Range Accuracy

measuring instruments
Pyranometer 1 Delta T—SPN1 0–2000 W m−2 ± 5 W m−2
Anemometer 1 Delta T—AN4 0–40 m s−1 ± 0.5 m s−1
Data logger 1 Key sight—20 − 200 to 850 °C ± 0.1 °C
channel—34972A
Thermocouple 9 K-type − 200 to 1200 °C ± 2.2 °C

13
Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel V-groove absorber plate… 2403

flow rate and efficiency is found to be 0.0045 and 0.0050, The rate of outlet exergy carried by the fluid flow is as
respectively. follows:
[ ( )]
To
̇
Exergy outlet Eo = mc ̇ p To − Ta − Ta ln (14)
Ta
Energy and exergy analyses
Solar air collector exergy efficiency is calculated as
Energy analyses follows:

The useful energy gain by the solar collector depicting val- Ė o − Ė i Ė o − Ė i

Exergy Efficiency 𝜂ex = = ).
ues of air temperature at inlet and outlet, and the air mass Ė s
(
T (15)
Ic Ac 1 − Ta
flow rate is as follows: s

(6)
( )
̇ p To − Ti
Qu = mC Irreversibility ̇ d = Ta Ṡ gen .
Ir = Ex (16)
The thermal efficiency is given by: where

Qu [(
T
)
T − Ti
]
𝜂= (7) Ṡ gen = mc
̇ p Ta ln o − o . (17)
Ac Ic Ti Tp

Exergy analyses Second law efficiency:

This study concentrates on two laws of thermodynamics that 𝜂II = 1 − (

Ir
.
are illustrated in the exergy analyses concept. In the analy- (18)
)
Ta
1− Qs
ses, changes in potential and kinetic energy are ignored. Ts

The exergy balance equation is denoted as:

∑ ∑ Results and discussion
ṁ i = ṁ o (8)
Performance tests using four types of absorber plates were
where ṁ is the mass flow rate and subscripts i and o stand conducted between 10:00 am and 3:30 pm on clear sunny
for inlet and outlet, respectively. days during the month of March 2018. Variation in solar
The energy and exergy balance are written in the form as radiation and ambient temperature is illustrated in Fig. 3.
below. The effects of potential and kinetic energy changes The recorded average global radiation and ambient tempera-
are ignored. ture during the test days were 917.25 W m−2 and 37.79 °C,
∑ ∑ respectively. The parameters measured were temperature
Ė i = Ė o (9) of air in the collector, solar irradiation, inlet and outlet

∑ ∑ ∑
̇ i−
Ex ̇ o=
Ex ̇ d
Ex (10)
41 1000
The rate of inlet exergy carried by the fluid flow is as 900
40
follows:
Ambient temperature/°C

800
[ ( )] 39
Ti 700
(11)
Radiation/W m–2

Exergy inlet Ei = mcp Ti − Ta − Ta ln 38

Ta 600

37 500
The radiation exergy rate from the sun on the collector
400
surfaces can be calculated as follows: 36
Ambient
Exergy radiation rate 35 Temperature
300

( ) Radiation 200
T 34
̇Es = Qs 1 − a (12) 100
Ts 33 0
10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00
where Qs is the absorbed solar energy. Time/hh:mm

Qs = Ic (𝜏𝛼)Ac (13)
Fig. 3  Variation in ambient temperature and solar radiation for the
collectors with time

13
2404 P. Sudhakar, M. Cheralathan

temperatures of air, ambient temperature and air flow rate.
The experimental results of the present work were used to
study the influence of certain selected parameters on the
thermal performance of the solar air collector. The dis-
cussion of the results focuses on the effect of outlet tem-
perature of air, mass flow rate and solar radiation, effect
of energy losses on the solar air collector’s thermal perfor-
mance, employing V-groove absorber plate with and without
pin-fins.
Effect of outlet temperature of different
configuration of V‑groove absorber plate
Outlet temperature of the collector is a major contributing
factor for drying. The thermal performance of the proposed
solar air collector is investigated on a mass flow rate of
0.035 kg s−1, which is suggested as the optimum mass flow
rate for any drying application by Karim and Hawlader [19].
The variation in the outlet temperature with time for all the
types of absorber plates is shown in Fig. 4.
It is clear from the figure that outlet temperature for all
the types varies almost similar to the variation in radia-
tion. The outlet temperature for all the types attained a
peak value at around 14:00 h. The peak outlet temperatures
exhibited by Type I, Type II, Type III collectors are 51.8 °C,
56.1 °C and 51.4 °C, respectively. Maximum outlet tem-
perature of 59.3 °C was attained for Type IV, which is the
V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins on both sides. The
mean outlet temperature of the Type IV had increased by
12% when compared to the conventional type. This is due
to the introduction of pin-fins within the V-groove, which
actually increased the heat transfer coefficient between the
absorber plate and the ambience. Also, the usage of pin-fins
60
has increased the surface area which in turn increased the
heat transfer from absorber plate to the air.
Thermal efficiency is a key factor in assessing the per-
formance of solar air collectors, and that is why the present
work analyzes and compares the thermal efficiency of solar
collectors using a V-groove absorber plate with and with-
out pin-fins. Variation in thermal efficiency with time for a
given mass flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1 for conventional (Type
I) and V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins (Types II – IV)
is shown in Fig. 5.
The figure states that the collector efficiency was 9.2%
and 12.1% higher with pin-fins at the top and pin-fins at the
bottom, respectively, in comparison with the conventional
type. The average efficiency of the Type IV V-groove collec-
tor was almost 17.4% higher than the conventional V-groove
collectors. It can be noted that collector efficiency increases
with increase in number of fins as suggested by Fudholi [24].
The increase in heat transfer coefficient between the absorber
plate and the air increased the outlet temperature, which in
turn increased the thermal efficiency. Increased heat transfer
from absorber plate to the air leads to a reduction in plate
temperature and a corresponding reduction in heat loss to
the surrounding.
Effect of mass flow rate
The mass flow rate is a key factor that enhances the convec-
tive heat transfer coefficient. The outlet air temperature for
mass flow rate between 0.01 and 0.10 kg s−1 at an interval
of 0.01 kg s−1 is plotted in Fig. 6. The figure shows that the
outlet temperature decreases as the flow rate increases.
On comparing the thermal efficiency of conventional flat
plate air heater against V-groove absorber plate with pin-
fins, it is revealed that heat transfer is more enhanced in
absorber plate with pin-fins. Thermal efficiency of all the
four types of collector increases with the increase in flow
1000

900
60.0 1000
55 800 900
50.0
Outlet temperature/°C

700 800
Radiation/W m–2

Thermal efficiency/%

50 600 700
40.0
Radiation/W m–2

600
500
Type-I 30.0 500
45 400
Type-I 400
Type-II
300 20.0 Type-II 300
Type-III Type-III
40 200 Type-IV 200
10.0
Type-IV Radiation 100
100
Radiation 0.0 0
35 0 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00
10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00 Time/hh.mm
Time/hh:mm
Fig. 5  Variation in thermal efficiency of the collector with time for all
Fig. 4  Variation in outlet temperature for the collectors with time four types

13
Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel V-groove absorber plate… 2405

70 The heat transfer coefficient variation in relation to the

Type-I mass flow rate is shown in Fig. 8. The heat transfer coef-
ficient increased from 12.3 to 77.9 W m−2 K−1, and the
Outlet temperature/°C

60 Type-II result shows that the air flow rate significantly affects the
Type-III heat transfer. Convective heat transfer coefficient correla-
tion within the solar collector can be given as Nu = 0.0755
Type-IV
50
­Re0.8Pr0.33. The increase in the mass flow rate could signifi-
cantly increase the collector’s thermal efficiency. When the
air flow rate exceeds the optimal value of 0.035 kg s−1, effi-
40
ciency is decreased. Though there is increase in heat trans-
fer coefficient, the increase in heat loss to the surroundings
30
actually decreased the thermal efficiency of the collector.
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
Mass flow rate/kg s–1 Effect of solar radiation

Fig. 6  Variation in outlet temperature with respect to varying mass
flow rate
rate. The mass flow rate of air along the air passage is a
significant parameter in calculations of thermal efficiency.
For a flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1, maximum efficiency of 52%
was obtained for absorber plate with pin-fins on both sides
as compared against the other types of absorber plates con-
sidered. Similar results were also cited by Karim and Haw-
lader [20]. The efficiency of the collector strongly depends
on air flow rate and gets saturated beyond the flow rate of
0.056 kg s−1. As the air temperature decreases with increase
in flow rate, the efficiency increases due to lower thermal
losses as shown in Fig. 7. The increase in air mass flow rate
could decrease the outlet temperature and increase the ther-
mal efficiency significantly up to its optimum value. Beyond
this value of air mass flow rate, heat transfer losses to the
surrounding increase and reduce the outlet temperature and
thermal efficiency.
A correlation between the conventional and V-groove
absorber plate with pin-fins on inlet and outlet temperature
difference (To − Ti) with solar radiation is shown in Fig. 9
for a mass flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1. Figure 9 indicates that
as the solar radiation increases, the temperature difference
also increases. It can be noted that the temperature differ-
ence for V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins on both sides
(Type IV) is higher than that of other types of air heaters
considered. Furthermore, it could be noted that at radia-
tion 987 W m−2 and mass flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1, the
maximum temperature difference (To − Ti) was 14.8 °C for
V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins on both sides.
The efficiency of the collector depends on the difference
in inlet and outlet temperature and solar radiation. Efficiency
decreases with increase in the inlet temperature and decrease
in solar radiation. Higher solar radiation and lower inlet tem-
perature yield higher efficiency.
90.0
Heat transfer coefficient/W m–2 K–1

80.0

70.0
65

60.0
60
Thermal efficiency/%

50.0
55
40.0

50 30.0

Type-I 20.0
45
Type-II
Type-III
10.0
40
Type-IV
0.0
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.1
35
0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.10 Mass flow rate/kg s–1
Mass flow rate/kg s–1
Fig. 8  Variation in heat transfer coefficient with respect to varying
Fig. 7  Variation in efficiency with respect to varying mass flow rate mass flow rate

13
2406 P. Sudhakar, M. Cheralathan

Temperature difference (To-Ti)/°C 16.0 5.0

Type-I Type-II 4.5
14.0 Type-III Type-IV 4.0

Exergy efficiency/%
3.5
12.0
3.0

10.0 2.5

2.0
8.0
1.5 Type-I
1.0 Type-II
6.0
Type-III
0.5
Type-IV
4.0 0.0
750 800 850 900 950 1000 10.00 11.00 12.00 13.00 14.00 15.00 16.00
Radiation/W m–2 Time/hh:mm

Fig. 9  Variation in temperature difference with respect to radiation Fig. 11  Exergy efficiency with respect to time of the day

70.0 of collectors. Introducing pin-fins on V-groove absorber

Heat transfer coefficient/W m–2 K–1

Type-I Type-III plate significantly increases the heat transfer coefficient.

60.0 Type-II Type-IV Maximum heat transfer coefficient of 61.6 W m−2 ­K−1 was
obtained for V-groove collector with pin-fins on both sides
50.0 (Type IV) for the solar radiation of 960 W m−2 ­K−1. Hence,
higher solar radiation improves the heat transfer coefficient
40.0 and thereby reduces the heat losses to the ambience.

30.0 Effect on exergy efficiency

20.0 Irreversibility of each type of solar air collector has been

estimated and tabulated in Table 5. The exergy analysis was
10.0 carried out in the month of March 2018, for mass flow rate
750 800 850 900 950 1000
0.035 kg s−1. It was found that Type I had the highest exergy
Radiation/W m–2
loss of 98.8% and Type IV with pin-fins on both sides had
lowest exergy loss of 96.4%. It was also found that second
Fig. 10  Variation in heat transfer coefficient with respect to radiation
law efficiency is the highest in type IV collector. This finding
closely matches those exergy relations stated in Ucar et al.
Table 5  Exergy losses and II law Efficiency
[9]. The largest irreversibility is seen to occur at the solar air
collector where thermal efficiency is smallest.
Type Exi (kW) Exo (kW) Irrevers- Exergy loss/% Second law Exergy efficiency with respect to time which varies
ibility efficiency/%
(kW) between 1.8 and 3.6% is shown in Fig. 11. Low irreversibil-
ity leads to higher exergy efficiency which is of 3.6% in Type
I 0.891 0.0162 0.881 98.8 1.8 IV collector. A comparison of some studies that employ fins
II 0.891 0.0244 0.8726 97.3 2.7 in absorber plate and the present study is summarized in
III 0.891 0.021 0.876 97.6 2.4 Table 6. The findings show that usage of fins improves ther-
IV 0.891 0.0322 0.8648 96.4 3.6 mal efficiency of the system, and the results are better with
increased number of fins in absorber plate.

The variation in heat transfer coefficient with solar radia-

tion is shown in Fig. 10. It is found that the heat transfer
coefficient increases with solar radiation for all the types

13
Thermal performance enhancement of solar air collector using a novel V-groove absorber plate…
Table 6  Summary of few experimental studies performed on solar air collectors with fins
Reference Solar air collector type Design modifications
Chabane et al. [30] Single-pass Longitudinal semi-cylindrical fins
El-Sebaii et al. [31] Double-pass Longitudinal and V-corrugated fins V-corrugated absorber plate with fins is 11.9% more
Kumar and Rosen [32] Double-pass Vertical fins on the absorber surface Addition of fins increased average thermal efficiency by
Naphon [21] Double-pass Longitudinal fins
This study Double-pass V-groove absorber plate with pin-
fins on both sides
Conclusions
A V-groove solar air collector with pin-fins was designed to
improve its thermal efficiency. Among all the four types of
solar collector tested, the collector with V-groove absorber
plate with pin-fins on both top and bottom (Type IV) exhib-
ited better performance.
The following conclusions are made from the experimen-
tal results for the V-groove absorber plate with pin-fins on
both sides in comparison with the conventional type:
• The mean outlet temperature is increased by 12%, and the
maximum difference between outlet to inlet temperature
is 14.8 °C.
• Heat transfer coefficient of 61.6 W m−2 K−1 was attained
for an average solar radiation of 960.6 W m−2.
• For a given mass flow rate of 0.035 kg s−1, the thermal
efficiency is found to be 17.4% more than that of the
conventional type.
• The outlet temperature range obtained in the study is
from 45 to 55 °C, which is the required range for various
agricultural drying applications.
From the experimental results, it can be concluded that
the usage of pin-fins in the V-groove of absorber plate is a
promising solution for enhancing the thermodynamics per-
formance of the collector. The requirement of less material
at low cost, fabrication easiness and long endurance is some
of the other attracting features of pin-fins.
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