This research article examines how altering the absorber plate surface shape and adding baffles within the air duct can improve the performance and efficiency of solar air heaters (SAHs). The modifications are designed to enhance air turbulence, hence improving thermal efficiency for two distinct airflow velocities entering the solar collector. The findings demonstrate that flow rate significantly influences output air temperatures and total thermal efficiency. The results showed that the average efficiencies for the ribbed and flat designs were 4.2% and 3.7%, respectively, while operating under natural convection. This was discovered by empirical research. The use of forced convection without airflow baffles resulted in a system efficiency gain of up to 25%. The use of baffles redirected the airflow at right angles to the ribs of the absorber plate, thereby enhancing air turbulence during the process. The inclusion of baffles had a substantial, beneficial impact on system efficiency. The comparison between the baffle-equipped model and the baffle-less variant revealed a 16% disparity. The optimal efficiency attained was 52.9% with the use of the polygonal absorber and baffles.
Derea et al. (Wed,) studied this question.