Applied Energy 34 (1989) 47-55

Heat Removal from a Triangular Finned Flat-Plate Solar-Energy Collector

B. N o r t o n , P. A. H o b s o n & S. D. Probert
Solar Energy Technology Centre, Cranfield Institute of Technology, Bedford MK43 0AL, UK

ABSTRACT For a fin-and-tube header-and-riser arrangement of a flat-plate solar-energy collector, the effect of triangular tapering of the absorberfins attached to each riser has been analysed. The heat-removal factor for each triangular fin is greater than for a rectangularfin of the same base width but lower than that of a rectangular fin of the same magnitude of absorber surface area.

NOTATION A b Surface area of fin (m2) See eqn (16) (dimensionless) Specific heat of the working fluid (J kg- 1 K - 1) Defined by eqn (17) (dimensionless) Diameter of riser (m) Collector factor (see eqn (28)) (dimensionless) Internal heat-transfer coefficient between the collector riser and the working fluid passing through it (W m-2 K-1) Thermal conductivity of the fin's metal (Wm-1 K-1) Length of the fin (m) Defined by eqn (2) (m- 1) Mass flow rate (kg s-1) Rate of heat transferred (W) Rate of solar-radiation absorption (W m-2) Temperature (K)
47

c.

D F h k L
m

rh

4
S T

Applied Energy 0306-2619/89/$03.50 1989 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England.

Printed in Great Britain

48

B. Norton, P. A. Hobson, S. D. Probert

W
X

Y
Zy

Overall heat loss coefficient of the solar-energy collector, of which the fins form a part (W m-2 K-1) Base width of a fin (see Fig. 1) (m) Width of fin at a distance y from its base (see Fig. 1) (m) Distance along a fin (see Fig. 1) (m) Defined by eqn (12) (dimensionless) See eqn (30) (dimensionless) Uniform thickness of a fin (m) Defined by eqn (12) (Wm -2)

0c,fl 6 0
Suffixes

Refers to the ambient environment b Refers to heat transfer to the fluid C For the collector f Refers to the fluid At inlet i O At outlet At a constant pressure P R Heat removal U Refers to conduction through the fin Refers to the condition at distance y along the fin Y 1, 2 and 3 Refer to alternative fin configurations, see Fig. 2
a

INTRODUCTION A flat-plate, metal, solar-energy absorber usually consists of risers (through which the heat-transfer fluid flows) to which are attached rectangular fins. Many studies have been undertaken concerning the rate of heat removal associated with such fins. 1-3 For tapered fins in non-solar-energy applications, the effects of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and natural convection have been the subjects of such analyses. 4 A heatexchanger with parabolic cross-sectioned fins will provide a high ratio of rate of cooling (the heat being rejected to the ambient environment) to weight, with a triangular-finned exchanger being the next best option. 5 However, neither of these shaped systems are usually financially viable for air-cooled systems because their manufacturing costs are out-of-proportion to the benefits (derived from any thermal or weight-saving advantages) relative to those achievable with rectangular finned systems. When active, a solar-energy collector heats the fluid in each riser pipe.

Heat removal from a flat-plate solar-energy collector

49

Thus the rate of conductive heat transfer along the fin towards the riser pipe is a maximum at the riser end at which cool fluid enters, and decreases along the riser as the fluid increases in temperature. Thus the width of the fin at the 'hot' end of the riser contributes less to the overall heat gain than that at the 'cold' end. It may thus be viewed as appropriate to reduce the width of the fin along the riser. This paper examines this proposal for the use of a triangular tapered fin.

ANALYSES The rate of heat supply per unit length, at a point y in the considered system (see Fig. 1), is given by qu = 2 t a n h ( m x ) IS - UL(Ty- Ta)]
m

(1)

where

m=

(2)

In the steady-state, the rate of heat conduction through the fin to its base equals the rate of heat transfer to the fluid, i.e.

qb = hrcD(Ty- Tf)
qb .. Ty = huD + Tf

(3)

(4)

Substituting for Ty from eqn (4) into eqn (1) gives

dlu= 2 [tanh(mx,][S- U L ( A + If-T~)]

which, provided qu = 0b, may be rearranged to give

(5)

qb 1 4
Thus

2 ULtanh

(mx)~- - m2 ]

tanh (rex)IS - UL(Tf -- T~)]

(6)

'b = [(2)tanh(mx'l[S-UL(Tr-T~)],,.
(7) 1+ ~
tnnT~L/

tanh (mx)

50

B. Norton, P. A. Hobson, S. D. Probert

This is equal to the rate of change of energy in the fin, i.e. 2 [tanh (mx)] [S - UL(Tf -- T~)]

mClad y = t~b= ~ d

(8)

1 + 2,UL tanh (mx)]

mnrrv

d
(9)

But, W x = ~-- (L -- y)

So, eqn (8) becomes

rhcpdTr 2tanh[m--~-~(L-Y)] ISdyy

1+ ~ tanh

U L ( T f - Ta)]

(10)
(L - y)

which, by rearranging, gives rhCp dTf =

s - U~(Tf- T,)
By making the substitutions zr = ~ and therefore dzy = eqn (11) becomes

- - ~ t - t - - F---mW-~- dy 1 + m---h----n~nD [-~--- (L - y)] tanh

(11)

mW

(L - y)

and

o = s-

U~(T, - T~)

(12)

mW

L dy

and

dO= - U L d T r

(13)

rhCPfo'OdO ZyL f[o

u~ ~ -b-=m-r~

tanh zy 1 + m--~-~nD tanhz

ZyUL

dzy

(14)

which, upon rearranging, gives

f[odO_ zyLUL f f , 0 m 2WrhCp ,

sinh z r cosh z r + ~ sinh z

dzy

(15)

Heat removal fiom a flat-plate solar-energy collector

51

II

RISER PIPE - - x

TRIANGULAR F I N -

r,

i
Im
~....

....

-'I

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of a triangular absorber-fin for a flat-plate solar-energy collector. To integrate the r i g h t - h a n d side o f eqn (15), a s t a n d a r d integral is e m p l o y e d o f the form, f sinh z dz a cosh z + b sinh z a In cosh (z + t a n h - l(b/a)) -- bz a 2 _ b2 (16)
bz - a In sinh (z + t a n h - t (b/a))

for a > Ibl, or b2 for b > [a[.

_

a2

Solving eqn (13) for the case o f a > [b[, where a -- 1, b = 2 U L / m h n D a n d introducing: 2LUL C = m2 W r h C p (17)

52

B. Norton, P. A. Hobson, S. D. Probert

eqn (13) becomes

f i ' d O ; z ,
,

--0- = c

sinhz dx , cosh z + b sinh z

(18)

Integrating eqn (18) leads to In ( ~ ) =

cP ncsh(z+tanh-xb)l -bz] - b 2

c[ !n csh (z' 1+- -tanh1b 2

b)bzi]
(19)

Taking natural anti-logarithms, eqn (19) becomes 0 o [-cosh(zo + t a n h - 1 b)] c/(1-b2) ~bc(z,- Zo) ~ 0~ = _cosh(z, + t a n h - r ~ J exp [ ~ - - - ~ -j But from eqn (12), 0o = S - UL(To - Ta) Also zo = 0 and z, = m W (22) Substituting from eqns (21) and (22) into eqn (20). gives. S - UL(To- T~)
s-

(20)

and

0, = S - UL(T, -- Ta)

(21)

cosh(tanh - l b )
--;

vL(r, - r.) - Lcosh-

b)-J

] c/"-b2)

(bcmW]
expj _T-S-b~; (23) 1

But cosh (m W + t a n h - : b) = cosh m Wcosh t a n h - 1 b + sinh m Wsinh tanh- ~ b (24) Also sinh tanh- ~ b = tanh tanh- ~ b = b (25) cosh t a n h - 1 b So, dividing the numerator and denominator in eqn (23) by the term I cosh (tanh- 1 b) cosh (m W + t a n h - 1 b) ] gives S - UL(To- Ta) [ 1 ]c/,,-b2, ~bcmW~ S - U L ( T , - . T ~ ) = CoshmWq-bsinhmW exP[l_--~-bT j (26)

which, upon rearranging, leads to

(S/UL) - (TO- T~) = (S/UO -(T, - T~)

[cosh m W +

bsinhmW] -~/"- b2} i__.~bcmW] (27)

e x p [ 1 - b2 J
(28)

From the definition of the heat-removal factor, ~

FR= AcUe 1 ~ - ( - ~ ,

[ (s/vo-(ro--- T~)]I

Heat removal from a flat-plate solar-energy collector

53

Substituting f r o m eqn (27) in eqn (28) gives

F.

--/rhCP - ( c o s h m W + [-1

Ac UL[

b sinh m W)Cm-b2)exp (bemW)~ \ 1 - 62 J J

(29)

By defining the constants

C
=

LU 2

~ = ~--~,

I.e. ~x

m2Cp(1 _ f12)

and

fl = b, i.e. fl =

ULW

hnD

(30)

then

r t = LWUL

rhCp

[1 -- (cosh m W + b sinh m W ) - " exp

(aflmW)]

(31)

ILLUSTRATIVE

EXAMPLE

Typical particular values o f FR for a representative triangular fin (i.e. with < 1) will be calculated, assuming:

I/~1

UL = 4"5 W m - 2 K - 1 (representative o f a water-heating singleglazed fiat-plate collector) 6 = 0-0007 m k = 3 8 5 W m - 1 K -1 (i.e. for copper) h = 200 W m - 2 K - 1 (typical for a water-heating collector) D = 0-015 m r h = 2 x 1 0 - 3 k g s -~ L=lm W = 0-125 m Cp = 4190 J kg K - 1 (i.e. for copper) Then m = ~3 4.5 =4.1m_ 1 85 x 0.0007

2x4.5 fl = 4.1 x 200 x n x 0.015 = 0"233 21x4.5 (4.1) 2 x 0"125 2 x 1 0 - 3 4190 (1 - 0 . 2 3 3 2 ) = 0.5405 rhCa

LWUL

2 x 1 0 - 3 x 4190 = 14-898 1 x 0-175 x 4-5

r o W = 4 . 1 x 0-125 = 0 . 5 1 2 5 cosh m W = [exp (0-5125) + exp ( - 0"5125)]/2 = 1.1342

bsinhmW= 0"233[exp (0.5125) - e x p ( - 0 . 1 5 2 5 ) ] / 2 = 0.1247

54

B. Norton, P. A. Hobson, S. D. Probert

E-

7,

L
COMPARABLE

L _ J - - - w~-- ~ , ,
i

L._.J'-- w2 - - ~ ' l
0"866

0'785

0'897

HEAT-REMOVAL FACIDRS

I i

Fig. 2. Comparison of alternative absorber-fin designs.

So, from eqn (32), F R = 14"898 [1 -(1"1342 + 0"1247) -0.5405 exp(0.5405 x 0-233 x 0-5125)] = 0.866 So the heat-removal factor for this triangular fin is 0.866. This may be compared with the heat-removal factor for a rectangular fin, with the same base width, of 0-785. However a rectangular fin, with the same area as the triangular fin, has a heat-removal factor of 0.897. These results are summarised in Fig. 2.

CONCLUSION Although the heat-removal factor for a triangular fin is greater than that for a rectangular fin of the same base width, it is lower than that for a rectangular fin of the same area. However, the reduction in the heat-removal factor in the latter case is modest but there m a y be other benefits, for example a lower flow resistance through a different arrangement of the collector's risers, that may, in the overall system's context, render the triangular fin a more appropriate option to choose. REFERENCES 1. Duffle, J. A. & Beckman, W. A., Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, John Wiley, New York, 1980.

Heat removalfrom a flat-plate solar-energy collector

55

2. Wijeysandera, N. E., Forced convection in absorber ducts subjected to uniform and non-uniform wall irradiation and external heat losses, Proc. A S M E Solar Energy Conference, Las Vegas, USA, April, 1984, pp. 201-8. 3. Prapas, D. E., Norton, B. & Probert, S. D., Thermal resistance of a solar-energy collector absorber under a non-uniform flux distribution, lnt. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 31(5) (1988) 1103-11. 4. Hagen, K. D., Perturbation analysis of tapered fins with non-linear thermal properties, J. Thermophys. Heat Transfer, 2(3) (1988) 276-9. 5. Mackerle, J., Air-cooled Automobile Engines, 2nd edn, Charles Griffin & Co. Ltd, London, 1972.