Enhancing Thermal Performance of Solar Water Heater System Through Collector Area Optimization

Abstract

This study investigates the enhancement of thermal efficiency in a solar water heating system by increasing the surface area exposed to sunlight without modifying the collector's primary dimensions. Three design modifications were explored: (i) incorporating four rows of camber, (ii) adding four rows of pin fins, and (iii) integrating four vertical fins. Numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS to evaluate the theoretical impact of these modifications, while an experimental assessment of a conventional solar collector was performed for validation. The experimental and numerical results showed strong agreement, confirming the reliability of the computational model. Compared to the conventional design, the modified collectors are found to achieve higher water temperatures in the storage tank by 2.1%, 2.4%, and 19.2% for models (four rows of camber, adding four rows of pin fins, and added four vertical fins), respectively. Additionally, the results indicated that the mass flow rates increased by about 3.1%, 4.4%, and 8.1%, while the overall collector efficiency improved by 5.6%, 6.1%, and 16.5%. These findings demonstrate the potential of surface area modifications to enhance the performance of solar water heating systems.