Comparative study on thermal performance of cross-matrix absorber solar collector with series and parallel configurations

This paper presents an experimental study comprising two CMA solar collectors with parallel and series arrangements on a forced convection solar drying system. The parallel and series solar collectors were investigated to evaluate the arrangement type’s effect on the thermal performance. The experiments were conducted using artificial solar radiation that varies from 300 to 900W/m2 with the air velocity of 0.5–2 m/s. The arrangement’s efficiency was evaluated based on the drying chamber’s thermal delivery from the collectors, thermal gains, and drying efficiencies, including air velocity effect and pressure drop. Results show that the solar collectors’ parallel arrangement leads to higher air temperature inside the drying chamber than the series by 3.87 ◦C. The thermal efficiency of 33.89% is achieved for the parallel setup than the series of 27.73%. The series arrangement is superior to the parallel in terms of the pressure drop across the solar drying system. Drying efficiency is observed at a higher air velocity of 2 m/s for both arrangements than lower airflow of 0.5 and 1 m/s. Parallel configuration showed promising performance in drying efficiency and low energy usage compared to the series arrangement in which the negative impact of higher pressure-drop was compensated

Hydrodynamics investigations of kaffir lime leaves drying in a swirling solar drying chamber with inclined slotted angle air distributor

The present work aims to investigate the behavior of drying kaffir lime leaves in a swirling solar drying chamber (S-SDC) fitted with an inclined slotted angle air distributor. A distributor plated with inclined slotted angle was located at the air inlet at the bottom of the chamber. Experimental and numerical methods have been applied to analyze the efficiency of developed S-SDC assisted solar drying system based on the moisture content (MC), moisture content ratio (MR) and drying rate (DR) were examined. The experimental results showed that the S-SDC can reduce the moisture content of kaffir lime leaves more rapidly than a conventional solar drying chamber (CSDC). The S-SDC gave a higher DR and decreased drying time compared to that of C-SDC. The results also indicated that operation at higher air velocities resulted in a greater DR, especially at the beginning stage of the drying process. For the S-SDC, the reduced of MC, MR and DR at a high air velocity (v = 2.0 m/s) was better than at low air velocities (v = 0.5 and 1.0 m/s). Drying chamber efficiency is also observed at a higher air velocity of 2 m/s for both SSDC and CSDC. In addition, obtained experimental findings are in line with numerical results. The outcomes of this study present the potential of using the S-SDC compared to the C-SDC to be used in drying crops

Design and fabrication of dual axis solar system tracker

Solar power is the energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. The uses of solar energy are now developing rapidly since it is the cleanest and renewable energy source available. This paper presents the design and fabrication of high-efficiency dual-axis solar tracking system. Moreover, the objectives of this paper is to make sure the designed dual-axis solar tracking system can move the solar panel to the direction of the light accurately. The project can be divided into two stages, which are the designing the structure of the solar tracker and the fabrication of the parts. In the design development, SolidWorks software is used to create the structure of the solar tracking system. To prove the structure is perfect for the solar tracking system, another software is used to test it. For the fabrication part, correct process is carefully chosen based on the machines and tools available in UMP. After the structure is completed, a solar panel, two linear actuators, sensors and batteries are assembled in the solar tracking system. The efficiency of the system has been tested and compared with static solar panel on several time intervals, and it shows the system react the best at the to-minutes intervals with consistent voltage generated. Therefore, the structure has been proven working for directing the solar panel towards the direction of light accurately so that it can capture maximum sunlight source for high efficiency solar harvesting applications

Evaluation on the Performance of Cross-Matrix Absorber Double-Pass Solar Air Heater (CMA-DPSAH) with and without Thermal Energy Storage Material

The intermittent natureof solar energysource can reduce the performance of solar air heater (SAH) considerably. The utilization of thermal storage materials demonstrates an effective way in order to improve an overall performance of SAH.In the present study, the performance of cross-matrix absorber double-pass solar air heater (CMA-DPSAH) integrated with the phase change material (PCM) as thermal energy storage was conducted. The PCM material was inserted inside the rectangular aluminium tube used as the thermal absorber.The air mass flow rate of 0.004kg/s was used during the entire experimental period. The experiment was conducted on several phase; Phase 1 (CMA-DPSAH with PCM) and Phase 2 (CMA-DPSAH without PCM) in order to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of the PCM utilization. Based on the result, CMA-DPSAH with PCM performed better than the CMA-DPSAH without PCM with maximum of heat gain and temperature output were 127 W and 53 oC, respectively. The instantaneous efficiency of CMA-DPSAH with PCM consistently higher than the CMA-DPSAH without PCM for about 17 –19% with the maximum was 64 % during the low radiation flux. This feature offers a great potential of solar air heater application in the intermittent solar radiation condition, especially for drying of the agriculture products

Evaluation on the performance of cross-matrix absorber double-pass solar air heater (CMA-DPSAH) with and without thermal energy storage material

The intermittent nature of solar energy source can reduce the performance of solar air heater (SAH) considerably. The utilization of thermal storage materials demonstrates an effective way in order to improve an overall performance of SAH. In the present study, the performance of cross-matrix absorber double-pass solar air heater (CMADPSAH) integrated with the phase change material (PCM) as thermal energy storage was conducted. The PCM material was inserted inside the rectangular aluminium tube used as the thermal absorber. The air mass flow rate of 0.004 kg/s was used during the entire experimental period. The experiment was conducted on several phase; Phase 1 (CMA-DPSAH with PCM) and Phase 2 (CMA-DPSAH without PCM) in order to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of the PCM utilization. Based on the result, CMA-DPSAH with PCM performed better than the CMA-DPSAH without PCM with maximum of heat gain and temperature output were 127 W and 53 oC, respectively. The instantaneous efficiency of CMA-DPSAH with PCM consistently higher than the CMA-DPSAH without PCM for about 17 – 19% with the maximum was 64 % during the low radiation flux. This feature offers a great potential of solar air heater application in the intermittent solar radiation condition, especially for drying of the agriculture products