Abstract

MORATON-LINARES, Lázara Rosemary et al. Preferred tilt angle for solar heaters operating in natural circulation regime in Cuba. Ingeniería Mecánica [online]. 2021, vol.24, n.3, pp. 1-10.  Epub Nov 17, 2021. ISSN 1815-5944.

The best tilt for solar air collector working in natural convection regime under Cubans conditions.

The paper dealt with the modeling of a flat solar collector for air heating operating in a natural convection regime in Cuba. The angle of tilt for the collector which allows the greatest extraction of energy and a greater annual energy efficiency of the installation was determined. The collector simulation is performed by varying the tilt angle, looking for the one with the highest efficiency. A numerical approach following the finite volume method was applied. The calculations were carried out in steady state and the flow regime was turbulent. The tilt angle having the best energy efficiency was obtained ranging from 45o to 50o. Due to the similarity between the mass flow behavior and annual average efficiency, the mass flow and its influence on useful heat are the predominant effect in the efficiency changes. An asymmetric velocity profile was found since the higher speeds are reached in the lower half of the collector.

Keywords : tilt angle; natural convection; CFD. computacional fluid dinamiycs.

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