Experimental Study on the Thermal Performance of a Dome Shaped Solar Air Heater

Abstract

The increasing global energy demand and environmental concerns associated with conventional energy sources have accelerated the development of renewable energy technologies. Solar air heaters (SAHs) are simple and cost-effective devices that convert solar radiation into thermal energy for heating air and are widely used in applications such as agricultural drying, space heating, and industrial process heating. However, conventional flat-plate solar air heaters often exhibit low thermal efficiency due to insufficient convective heat transfer between the absorber plate and the flowing air. This study presents an experimental investigation of an innovative solar air heater designed to enhance thermal performance through modifications in the absorber plate configuration. The system was fabricated and tested under outdoor conditions to evaluate parameters such as outlet air temperature, useful heat gain, and thermal efficiency. Experiments were conducted by varying airflow rate and solar radiation intensity to analyze their influence on system performance. The experimental results indicate that the modified absorber design improves heat transfer between the absorber plate and airflow, resulting in higher outlet air temperatures and improved thermal efficiency compared to conventional designs. The findings demonstrate that simple design modifications can effectively enhance the performance of solar air heaters and contribute to the development of efficient and sustainable solar thermal systems.