Theoretical study on heat transfer characteristics and performance of the flat-plate solar air heaters

In this paper, the heat transfer characteristics and the performance of flat plate solar air heaters are studied numerically. The mathematical models are solved by the explicit method of finite-difference scheme. Five different characteristics of solar air heaters are considered. The results obtained from the model are compared with the experimental data obtained from previous works. Predictions for performance of the solar air heaters also exhibit reasonable agreement with experimental data. The results of this study are of technological importance for the efficient design of the flat plate solar air heater.