Forced convection flat plate solar air heaters with and without thermal storage

Abstract

This paper presents thermal performance of flat plate solar air heater (SAH) with and without thermal storages. A forced convection solar collector (FCSC) integrated with different sensible heat storage material has been developed and tested for its performance for solar collector under meteorological conditions of Aliyar, Pollachi Taulk, India. System consists of a flat plate SAH with heat storage unit, and a centrifugal blower to increase collector outlet temperature and efficiency (10-20%). Gravel with iron scraps gives better efficiency than other storage materials. FCSC is more suitable for drying high quality dried product even in a cloudy climate like Pollachi.