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Article

CFD Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Flat-Plate Solar Collector/Evaporator with Different Geometric Variations in the Cross Section

by
William Quitiaquez
1,2,*,
José Estupiñán-Campos
2,
César Nieto-Londoño
3,* and
Patricio Quitiaquez
1,4
1
Productivity and Industrial Simulation Research Group (GIIPSI), Department of Master’s Degree in Production and Industrial Operations, Engineering, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Quito EC170525, Ecuador
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Quito EC170525, Ecuador
3
Escuela de Ingenierías, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín CO050031, Colombia
4
Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Quito EC170525, Ecuador
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2023, 16(15), 5755; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155755
Submission received: 1 July 2023 / Revised: 22 July 2023 / Accepted: 26 July 2023 / Published: 2 August 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Pumps Using Low-GWP Refrigerants 2022)

Abstract

There is a growing demand from the industrial sector and the population to cover the need for water temperature increases that can be covered with systems such as heat pumps. The present research aims to increase the heat transfer to the working fluid in a collector/evaporator, part of a solar-assisted direct expansion heat pump. This research was developed using a numerical analysis and by applying computational fluid dynamics; different simulations were performed to compare the performances of collector/evaporators with models exhibiting variations in the cross-section profile under similar conditions. An average incident solar radiation of 464.1 W·m−2 was considered during the analysis. For the comparison, profiles with hexagon-, four-leaf clover-, and circular-shaped sections with floral shapes, among others, were analysed, resulting in a temperature increase at the outlet of the working fluid of 1.3 °C. In comparison, the collector/evaporator surface temperature varied between 4 and 13.8 °C, while the internal temperature of the fluid reached 11.21 °C. Finally, it is indicated that the best results were presented by analysing the profile corresponding to the circular section with the flower shape.
Keywords: heat pump; heat transfer; hydrocarbon; cross-section profile; solar-assisted heat pump heat pump; heat transfer; hydrocarbon; cross-section profile; solar-assisted heat pump

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Quitiaquez, W.; Estupiñán-Campos, J.; Nieto-Londoño, C.; Quitiaquez, P. CFD Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Flat-Plate Solar Collector/Evaporator with Different Geometric Variations in the Cross Section. Energies 2023, 16, 5755. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155755

AMA Style

Quitiaquez W, Estupiñán-Campos J, Nieto-Londoño C, Quitiaquez P. CFD Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Flat-Plate Solar Collector/Evaporator with Different Geometric Variations in the Cross Section. Energies. 2023; 16(15):5755. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155755

Chicago/Turabian Style

Quitiaquez, William, José Estupiñán-Campos, César Nieto-Londoño, and Patricio Quitiaquez. 2023. "CFD Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Flat-Plate Solar Collector/Evaporator with Different Geometric Variations in the Cross Section" Energies 16, no. 15: 5755. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155755

APA Style

Quitiaquez, W., Estupiñán-Campos, J., Nieto-Londoño, C., & Quitiaquez, P. (2023). CFD Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement in a Flat-Plate Solar Collector/Evaporator with Different Geometric Variations in the Cross Section. Energies, 16(15), 5755. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155755

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