Experimental Investigation on Thermal Performance Enhancement of Solar Hybrid Collectors Using Varying Surface Roughness Configurations

The essential renewable energy source known as solar energy demands higher utilization efficiency for sustainable energy solutions. The researchers beneath experimental conditions studied the thermal efficiency of a solar hybrid collector by testing three surface roughness variations which included normal, medium and complex. Performance testing of the system occurred at two different mass flow rates in 0.0078 and 0.0112 kg/s under real environmental conditions based in Chennai, India. Complex roughness design featuring combination fins and baffles produced the highest efficiency rate which exceeded 15.7% during 0.0112 kg/s operation. The maximum thermal efficiency reached 14.1% under medium roughness conditions whereas normal roughness with its unmodified airflow obtained 6.5%. At the 0.0078 kg/s mass flow rate the thermal efficiency achieved its maximum of 12.4% for complex roughness then 8.9% for medium roughness before ending at 4.3% for normal roughness. The research demonstrates that structured roughness elements create turbulence which increases thermal heat transfer efficiency of solar collectors. Relevant information emerged for creating efficient solar thermal technology because air channel geometry optimization leads to enhanced energy extraction ability.