Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

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Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Experimental study of enhancement of heat transfer and pressure

drop in a solar air channel with discretized broken V-pattern baffle
Raj Kumar, Muneesh Sethi, Ranchan Chauhan, Anil Kumar*
School of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Shoolini University, Solan, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: This article presents an experimental study on heat transfer and friction characteristics of solar air
Received 1 April 2016 channel fitted with discretized broken V-pattern baffle on the heated plate. The effect of geometrical
Received in revised form parameters, predominantly the gap width and gap location has been investigated. The roughened baffle
27 August 2016
air channel has a width to height ratio, W/H of 10. The relative baffle gap distance, Dd/Lv and relative
Accepted 17 September 2016
baffle gap width, gw/Hb has been varied from 0.26 to 0.83 and 0.5e1.5, respectively. Experiments have
been carried out for the range of Reynolds number, Re from 3000 to 21,000 with the relative baffle
height, Hb/H range of 0.25e0.80, relative baffle pitch, Pb/H range of 0.5e2.5; and angle of attack, aa range
Keywords:
Solar energy
of 30
e70
. The optimal values of geometrical parameters of roughness have been obtained and dis-
Turbulence cussed. For Nurs the greatest enhancement of the order of 4.47 times of the corresponding data of the
Thermal without channel has been obtained. The absolute highest data of thermal hydraulic performance
Baffle height parameter has been found to be greater corresponding to Dd/Lv of 0.67, gw/Hb of 1.0, Hb/H of 0.50, Pb/H of
Baffle distance 1.5, and aa of 60
. The maximum value of the thermal hydraulic performance parameter was found to be
3.14 for the range of parameters investigated.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The efficiency of compact heat exchangers can be improved by
modifying the boundary layer developed on the heated surface.
One of the well-known approach of modifying the boundary layer
is to break the laminar viscous sub-layer formed on the heat
transfer surface by creating rough surface in the form of transverse
baffle, angled baffle, V-baffle and perforated baffle etc. Air channel
is one of the simplest and extensively used types of heat exchanger
in which heat energy is being exchanged between heated wall and
air streaming through the system. The major constraint of air
channel use is low overall thermal performance due to low heat
transfer rate between heated wall and air [1e4]. In order to attain
higher thermal performance it is beneficial that the stream at the
heat transfer wall should be made turbulent. The baffle roughness
has been used extensively for the augmentation of forced convec-
tive heat transfer coefficient of air channels. Use of baffle roughness
seems to be a useful proposition for improving the local Nurs [5e8].
For detailed descriptions of some experimental investigations on
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: anil_aheciit@yahoo.com (A. Kumar).
air channel with transverse baffle, inclined baffle, delta baffle,
diamond shaped baffle, V-type baffle etc.
Karwa and Maheshwari [9] experimentally study Nurs and frs in a
SAC with transverse fully perforated baffles and half perforated
baffles attached to one of the broad wall. They reported that for
fully perforated baffle the improvement in Nurs is 79e169% and
133e274% in case of half perforated baffles. Ozgen et al. [10] re-
ported the thermal performance in a SAC with baffles fitted to the
heated wall. Bopche and Tandale [11] reported the wholly devel-
oped stream in a roughened SAC with U-shaped pattern baffles.
Eiamsa-ard et al. [12] investigated the heat transfer improvement
in a SAC with winglet delta twisted tape baffles with different bO
and Hb/H. Their studies shows that Nurs and frs data with winglet
delta twisted tape were superier as compared to without winglet
delta twisted tape.
Promvonge et al. [13] mathematically examined the perfor-
mance of Nurs and frs in square channel attached with 45
inclined
baffles with a Re ranging from 100 to 1200. They informed that for
the 45
baffle with Hb/H ¼ 0.4 and Re ¼ 1200, Nurs is superior to that
of 90
baffle. Promovong [14] experimentally investigated the tur-
bulent forced convection Nurs and frs loss behaviour in a high W/H
channel attached with 60
V- shaped baffles. Akpinar et al. [15]
experimentally investigate the performance analysis of four types

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.09.033
0960-1481/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872 857

Nomenclature Nurs Nusselt number of baffle channel

Nus Nusselt number of channel without baffle
Ap Surface area of heated plate, m2 Pb Pitch of baffle channel, m
Ao Area of orifice, m2 Pb/H Relative pitch ratio
Af Area of flow, m2 (Dp)d Pressure drop across test section, Pa
Cdo Coefficient of discharge (Dp)o Pressure drop across orifice plate, Pa
Cp Specific heat of air, J/kg K Qu Useful heat gain, W
Dd Gap or broken distance, m Re Reynolds number
Dhd Hydraulic diameter of channel, m Tf Mean bulk air temperature, K
f Friction factor Ti Inlet temperature of air, K
frs Friction factor of roughened baffle To Outlet temperature of air, K
fss Friction factor without baffle channel Tp Plate temperature of air, K
gw Gap or discrete width, m U Mean air velocity, m/s
ht Convective heat transfer coefficient, W/m2K V Velocity of air, m/s
H Height of channel, m W Width of channel, m
Hb Height of baffle, m SAH Solar air heater
gw/Hb Relative gap width SAC Solar air channel
Hb/H Relative baffle height
Ka Thermal Conductivity of air, W/mK Greek symbols
Lt Length of test section, m aa Angle of attack,

Lv Length of V-type baffle, m b Ratio of orifice meter to pipe diameter
Dd/Lv Relative baffle gap distance ra Density of air, kg/m3
ma Mass stream rate of air, kg/s n Kinematic viscosity of air, m2/s
Nu Nusselt number hp Thermo hydraulic performance

of SAH with different obstacles and without obstacle. They reported
that efficiency of SAH depends on the surface geometry of collec-
tors, solar radiation of air stream line. Chompookham et al. [16]
experimentally studied the effect of winglet vortex type genera-
tors on the Nurs and frs behaviours for a turbulent stream. Bekele
and Mishra [17] carried out the experimental studied of the tur-
bulent air stream and heat transfer characteristics of SAC with delta
shaped obstacle attached to the upper wall of a channel. Kha-
noknaiyakarn [18] carried out an experiment to study Nurs and frs
by using V-pattern baffles on a broad heated wall of a large W/H
channel. The effects of the baffles on Nurs and frs were investigated.
Sriromreun et al. [19] reported experimental predictions of the Nurs
and frs for a SAC with Z-shaped baffles. Their experiments were
performed by controlling the air stream rate to attain Re values in
the range of 4400 to 20,400. Thianpong et al. [20] reported the
experimental studies of the collector performance of a SAC with
twisted rings type baffles.
Zhou and Ye [21] carried out the experimental studied of the
turbulent air stream and heat transfer characteristics of SAC with
delta winglet vortex generator baffles attached to the upper surface
of a channel. Chamoli and Thakur [22] conducted an indoor
experimental investigation to study Nurs and frs data of air passing
through an air channel that was roughened by V-shaped perforated
baffles. Bayrak et al. [23] studied the performance valuation of
porous baffles introduced SAC by energy and energy method. They
reported that the maximum collector efficiency and air tempera-
ture increase are attained by SAC with a thickness of 6 mm and ma
of 0.025 kg/s while the lowermost data are obtained for the SAC
with non-baffle collectors with ma of 0.016 kg/s. Tamna et al. [24]
investigated the effect of multiple V-baffle vortex generators to
improve Nurs in a channel fitted with 45
BVG with Re ranging from
4000 to 21000, Hb/H ¼ 0.25, Pb/H ¼ 0.5, 1 and 2 and aa equal to 45

respectively.
Alam et al. [25] experimentally investigated the effect of Hb/H of
0.4e1.0, Pb/H of 4e12, bO of 5e25%, aa of 60
and Re varies from
2000 to 20,000 on V-shaped perforated blocks SAC with W/H of 10.
They observed that average improvement in Nurs for perforated V-
shaped blockage is 33% higher over solid blockages, frs of perforated
blockage gets reduced by 32% of the value as compared to solid
blockage. Skullong et al. [26] carried out an experimental study on
the turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics in a SAC
attached baffles with combined groove baffles. Shin and Kwak [27]
studied the effect of the perforation shape for a blockage wall on
the Nurs in a stream passage. It was observed that a blockage surface
with wider perforation provided a more uniform Nurs and greater
thermal performance factor. plate. Table 1 summarizes the exper-
imental investigations of some important rib arrangements inves-
tigated by the investigators.
Literature review shows that, the transverse baffle shape
improve the heat transfer rate by stream separation and creation of
vortices on the upward and downward of the baffles and reat-
tachment of stream in inter-baffle spaces. Angling of transverse
baffle further enhances the heat transfer on account the movement
of vortices along the baffle wall and creation of a secondary stream
cell close to the leading end, which outcome in local wall turbu-
lence. V- type baffle of an extended angled baffle benefits in the
type of two secondary stream jets as compared to single in case of
an angled baffle resulting in still superior heat transfer rate. Making
a broken in the baffle is found to improve the heat transfer by
disturb the secondary stream and produce advanced level of tur-
bulence in the fluid downward of the baffles. It is hypothesized that
discretized broken V-pattern baffle will raise heat transfer rate
compared to without broken V-type baffle.
2. Experimental details
2.1. Experimental set-up
To study the outcome of discretized broken V-pattern baffle
turbulent promoter on the Nurs and frs of air stream an experi-
mental setup was intended and made-up accordance with guide-
lines suggested in ASHRAE standard [28]. A schematic illustration
858 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

Table 1
Previous experimental investigation of various baffle roughened solar air channel.

Sr. Type of baffles Shape of baffles Major findings

No.

1. Angled baffles [5] Augmentation of about 3.16 and 3.56 times in heat transfer and pressure drop respectively has been
reported over smooth rectangular channel.

2. Perforated baffles [9] The perforated baffles helped in achieving high values of heat transfer and pressure drop of about 3.56
and 4.18 times respectively over smooth rectangular channel.

3. U-shaped baffles [11] Augmentation in heat transfer and pressure drop of about 2.82 and 3.72 times has been achieved
compared to smooth absorber plate.

4. Delta shaped baffles [17] The insertion of delta shaped baffles augmented heat transfer and pressure drop by 3.67 and 4.89 times
respectively over smooth rectangular channel.

5. V-shaped baffles [18] Heat transfer and pressure drop augmented by about 4.02 and 5.23 times respectively compared to
that of smooth absorber surface.

6. Single V-Perforated Augmentation of about 3.95 and 5.35 times in heat transfer and pressure drop respectively is reported
shaped baffles [22] over smooth rectangular channel.

7. Perforated V-shaped Average enhancement in heat transfer is 13% higher over solid baffles while the pressure drop
blockages [25] decreased by 18% of the value compared to solid baffles.

8. Transverse Perforated Heat transfer augmented by 3.98 and pressure drop by 4.28 times respectively compared to the smooth
blocks baffles [27] rectangular channel.
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872 859

Table 1 (continued )

Sr. Type of baffles Shape of baffles Major findings

No.

9. Discrete V-pattern baffles The literature survey over the available experimental and analytical studies reported that the V-pattern
(Proposed shape) baffles have elevated overall thermal performance compared to other simple angled, transverse,
perforated baffle shapes and configurations. The research gap with discrete V-pattern baffles has been
carried out in the present study which augments the convective heat transfer due to insertion of
secondary flow regions.

of experimental set up is shown in Fig. 1. The air channel is
2000 mm extended with a stream cross section of 300 mm  30 mm
is made-up from ply panel of 20 mm thickness. The channel is
comprises of inlet section 500 mm long, a test section of 1200 mm
length and an exit section of 300 mm length. The complete channel
is insulated with 50 mm thick polystyrene insulation having ther-
mal conductivity of 0.037 W/mK to minimise heat loss to the
environment. An electric heating element was made-up by
combining six loops of nichrome cable in series and parallel having
a size of 1,200 mm  300 mm to supply a kept heat flux 1000 W/m2
to the heated wall which is careful to be sensibly reasonable data of
heat energy input for testing rectangular air channel. The asbestos
sheet is converted with strip of Mica to keep the uniform distance
between the wires and prevent back heating.
A Galvanised Iron (GI) sheet of 18 SWG size black painted in
order to facilitate the heat transfer is used as a heated wall. Dis-
credited broken V-Pattern baffle were attached on the base of
heated wall by means of epoxy resin. This plate formed the top wall
of the air channel. The bottom side of the air channel is covered
with smooth face using sun mica sheet. A calibrated Orifice meter
(having coefficient of discharge 0.62) connected to U-tube
manometer using methyl alcohol as manometer fluid was used to
measure the mass stream rate of air through rectangular air
channel. The control valves provided in the lines control the stream.
Copper-constantan thermocouples were used for air and
aluminium plate temperature measurement. Such thermocouples
are usually recommended for temperature measurement in the
range of 0e400
C (Benedict [29]). The thermocouple output is
measured by a Digital Micro Voltmeter, joined through a selector
switch to designate the output of the thermocouples in
C. To verify
the accuracy of temperature measurement, thermocouples have
been calibrated under laboratory conditions against a dry block
temperature calibrated instant.
The thermocouple to be calibrated was located in the calibration
bath where kept temperature is maintained and the response of the
thermocouple and the standard probe were noted with the help of
a digital temperature indicator for various pre-set data of the
standard probe, and the error among the reading of standard probe
and the thermocouple were measured. If this error is more than
certain limit of the calibrator then the thermocouple is rejected and
if this error is less than tolerance limit of the calibrator then the
thermocouple is accepted. This process was repeated in numerous
steps of rising as well as reducing temperature range. Temperature
scanners have been used to show the temperature of heated plate
and inlet and outlet of air. The pressure drop through the test
section of the air channel was obtained by a micro monometer
having a least count of 0.01 mm.
2.2. Range of parameters
Rectangular air channel has an Lt equal to 2000 mm while the, H
is set equal to 30 mm and W is 300 mm, the hydraulic diameter, Dhd
is equal to 54.54 mm. The baffle parameters are determined by
baffle height Hb, pitch of baffle Pb, broken distance Dd, broken width

Fig. 1. Schematic of experimental setup.

860 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

gw, length of V-type baffle Lv, angle of attack aa and the shape of the
roughness elements.
These parameters have been expressed in the form of dimen-
sionless roughness parameters, viz., relative gap distance (Dd/Lv),
relative gap width (gw/Hb), relative baffle pitch (Pb/H), relative baffle
pitch (Pb/H), relative baffle height (Hb/H), and angle of attack (aa).
The shape is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and Table 2 gives the range of
parameters.

2.3. Raw data collection

The data collected have been used to compute ht, Nu, and f.
Relevant expressions for the computation of the above parameters
and some intermediate parameters have been given below. Fig. 3. Experimental setup and discretized broken V-Pattern baffle roughened plates.

2.3.1. Temperature measured Table 2

Range of parameters.
Weighted average plate air temperature:
The mean temperature of the plate (Tp) is the average of all Sr. No. Parameters Range
temperatures of the heated plate: 1. Re 3000 to 21000
P 2. Dd/Lv 0.26e0.83
Tpi 3. gw/Hb 0.5e1.5
Tp ¼ (1) 4. Pb/H 0.5e2.5
N
5. Hb/H 0.25e0.80
The mean bulk air temperature (Tf) is a simple arithmetic mean 6. aa 30
e70

of the measured values at the inlet and the exit temperature of air
streaming through the test section:
2.3.3. Velocity of air through channel (V)
Ti þ To
Tf ¼ (2) The V is calculated from the knowledge of ma and the stream as
2
ma
where To ¼ (TA2 þ TA3 þ TA4 þ TA5 þ TA6)/5, Ti ¼ TA1. V¼ (4)
ra WH

2.3.2. Mass stream rate measurement (ma)

The ma of air has been calculated from the pressure drop mea-
surement through the calibrated orifice meter by using the
2.3.4. Equivalent hydraulic diameter (Dhd)
following formula:
" #0:5
2ra ðDpÞ0 4:ðW:HÞ
ma ¼ Cdo Ao (3) Dhd ¼ (5)
1  b4 2:ðW þ HÞ

Fig. 2. Discretized broken V-pattern baffle.

 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872 861

2.3.5. Reynolds number (Re)

The Re of air stream in the channel is intended from ht Dhd
Nurs ¼ (10)
Ka
V$Dhd
Re ¼ (6)
n

2.3.6. Friction factor (frs)

The frs is determined from the measured value of (Dp)d across the
test section length using the Darcy equation as
 
2 Dp d Dhd
frs ¼ (7)
4ra Lt V 2

2.3.7. Heat transfer coefficient (ht)

The heat transfer rate Qu, from absorber to the air is given by:

Qu ¼ ma cp ðT0  Ti Þ (8)
The ht for the heated test section has been calculated as:

Q
ht ¼  u  (9)
Fig. 5. Comparison of experimental and predicted values of fss.
Ap $ Tp  Tf

2.3.8. Nusselt number (Nurs)

The ht can be used to determine the Nurs, which is defined as:

Table 3
Range of uncertainty in the measurement of essential parameters.

S. No. Parameters Error range, %

1. Mass flow rate (ma) 1.597e2.033

2. Velocity of air (V) 1.653e1.811
3. Useful heat gain (Qu) 2.131e3.267
4. Heat transfer coefficient (ht) 2.213e3.732
5. Nusselt number (Nurs) 3.378e4.667
6. Friction Factor (frs) 1.283e2.331
7. Reynolds Number (Re) 1.43e3.76
8. Thermo-hydraulic performance parameter (hp) 3.675e5.221

Fig. 6. (A) Variation of Nurs with Re at different Dd/Lv. (B) Variation of Nurs with Dd/Lv at
Fig. 4. Comparison of experimental and predicted values of Nuss. different selected Re.
862 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

2.4. Uncertainties analysis Nuss and fss as a function of the Re is shown in Figs. 4 and 5
respectively.
An uncertainty analysis has been carried to estimate the errors
involved in experimental data measurement. The uncertainty is 4. Results and discussion
estimated based on errors associated with measuring instruments
[32]. Table 3 shows the range of uncertainty in the measurement of A study was conducted to understand the effect on Nurs and frs of
essential parameters. The details of the analysis are given in
Appendix-A.

3. Validation of experimental data

The value of Nuss and fss calculated through experimental out-

comes for a smooth channel have been compared with the out-
comes obtained from the Dittus-Boelter equation [Eq. (11)] for the
Nuss, and modified Blasius equation [Eq. (12)] for the fss [6].
The Nuss for a smooth channel is given by the Dittus-Boelter
equation as:

Nuss ¼ 0:023Re0:8 Pr 0:4 (11)

The fss for a smooth channel is given by the modified Blasius
equation as:

fss ¼ 0:085Re0:25 (12)

The comparison of the experimental and estimated outcomes of Fig. 8. Secondary stream type with discretized broken V-pattern baffle air channel.

Fig. 7. (A) Variation of Nurs with Re at different gw/Hb. (B) Variation of Nurs with gw/Hb Fig. 9. (A) Variation of Nurs with Re at different Hb/H. (B) Variation of Nurs with Hb/H at
at different selected Re. different selected Re.
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
the stream Re and discretized broken V-pattern baffle used to
provide roughness for an air channel. In this experimental inves-
tigation, effect of discretized broken V-pattern baffle shape pa-
rameters such as; Dd/Lv, gw/Hb, Hb/H, Pb/H, and aa on Nurs and frs has
been studied extensively and discussed below.
4.1. Heat transfer
In order to compare the improvement of the Nurs achieved as an
outcome of providing a broken in the V-pattern baffle arrangement,
the values of the, Nurs for fixed values of the, gw/Hb of 1.0, and
distinct values of Dd/Lv is given in Fig. 6(A). Fig. 6(A) shows the
variant of and Pb/H ¼ 1.5, Hb/H ¼ 0.50 and aa ¼ 60
, with Re at
distinct values of Dd/Lv for a fixed gw/Hb of 1.0. It can be seen that
the Nurs rises with rise in Dd/Lv from 0.58 to 0.67, attains an extreme
at a, Dd/Lv of 0.67 and thereafter it reduces with rise in the Dd/Lv.
Fig. 6(B) shows the values of the Nurs as a function of Dd/Lv for a 60

discretized broken V-pattern baffle air channel at distinct selected
Re. It can be observed that at any Dd/Lv, the Nurs is the highest for
the Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67 for every value of Re. Producing broken near the
leading edge (say at Dd/Lv ¼ 0.26), the strength of the secondary
stream may not be sufficient to energize the main stream passing
through the broken and this broken distance does not lead to sig-
nificant rise in Nurs. A rise in the values of Dd/Lv say at Dd/Lv ¼ 0.55
Fig. 10. (A) Variation of Nurs with Re at different Pb/H. (B) Variation of Nurs with Pb/H at
different selected Re.
863
signifies shifting of the broken toward trailing edge. This raises the
strength of the secondary stream and Nurs rises with rise in the Dd/
Lv up to 0.67. It appears that up to theses Dd/Lv values, there is
significant contribution baffle second part of secondary stream to
the Nurs whereas this truncated second part begins to become
insignificant as the distance is further increased resulting in a slight
reduce in Nurs as the Dd/Lv is raised beyond 0.67.
These results broadly agree with previous studies on broken
baffle roughened channels [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
Fig. 7(A) presented the values of the, Nurs for fixed values of the,
Dd/Lv of 0.67, Pb/H ¼ 1.5, Hb/H ¼ 0.50 and aa ¼ 60
and distinct
values of gw/Hb. This figure shows the Nurs rises with rise in the gw/
Hb up to about 1.0, beyond which it reduces with rise in the gw/Hb.
The value of Nurs is greatest for gw/Hb of 1.0 and smallest for the, gw/
Hb of 1.5. Fig. 7(B) shows the values of the Nurs as a function of gw/Hb
for a 60
discretized broken V-pattern baffle air channel at distinct
selected Re . It can be observed that at any gw/Hb, the Nurs is the
highest for the gw/Hb ¼ 1.0 for all value of Re. It appears that as the
gw/Hb is raised beyond 1.0, the stream velocities through the broken
will reduce, which may not be strong enough to accelerate the
stream through the broken and hence the Nurs due to this stream
may not be raised significantly whereas with the reduction of this
gw/Hb to values lower than 1.0, there may be very little space for
stream of the fluid through it which outcomes in low turbulent and
Fig. 11. (A) Variation of Nurs with Re at different aa. (B) Variation of Nurs with aa at
different selected Re.
864 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
Fig. 12. (A) Variation of frs with Re at different Dd/Lv. (B) Variation of frs with Dd/Lv at
different selected Re.
hence reduce the improvement of Nurs.
Thus in order to achieve the improvement of Nurs, the width of
the broken should be such that it can rise the velocity of the fluid
passing through it in order to create the local turbulence as shown
in Fig. 8. These outcomes broadly agree with previous studies on
broken roughened channels [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
Fig. 9(A) shows the variation of Nurs with Re for distinct values of
Hb/H. The other roughness parameters were kept Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, gw/
Hb ¼ 1.0 as Pb/H ¼ 1.5 and aa ¼ 60
. It is observed that the Nurs rises
with rise in Hb/H for all values of Re due to increased protrusion into
stream causing more turbulence, thereby, resulting in rise in Nurs.
The highest Nurs is observed at Hb/H of 0.50. Fig. 9(B) shows the
values of the Nurs as a function of Hb/H for a 60
discredited broken
V-pattern baffle air channel at different selected Re. It can be
observed that at any Hb/H, the Nurs is the highest for the Hb/H ¼ 0.50
for all value of Re. These outcomes broadly agree with previous
studies on baffle roughened channel [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
Fig. 10(A) shows the variation of Nurs as a function of Re for
distinct values of Pb/H and fixed values of other channel parameters
as, Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, gw/Hb ¼ 1.0 Hb/H ¼ 0.50 and aa ¼ 60
. For all Re, the
greatest value of Nurs has been observed corresponding to the Pb/H
value of 1.5, whereas the smallest value of Nurs has been found to
occur at the Pb/H value of 2.5 for the range of investigations.
Fig. 10(B) shows the values of the Nurs as a function of Pb/H for a 60

Fig. 13. (A) Variation of frs with Re at different gw/Hb. (B) Variation of frs with gw/Hb at
different selected Re.
discredited broken V-pattern baffle air channel at distinct selected
Re. It can be observed that at any Pb/H, the Nurs is the highest for the
Pb/H ¼ 1.5 for all value of Re. These outcomes broadly agree with
previous studies on baffle roughened channel [15] [17] [22], and
[24,25].
Fig. 11(A) shows the variation of Nurs with Re for distinct values
of aa and fixed values of other channel parameters as Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67,
gw/Hb ¼ 1.0, Hb/H ¼ 0.50 and Pb/H ¼ 1.5. In this plot, Nurs has been
plotted as a function of aa for some selected values of Re and fixed
values of other channel parameters. Nurs rises with rise in aa, attains
a highest value corresponding to aa ¼ 60
and then decreases with
further rises in the value of aa. Fig. 11(B) shows the values of the
Nurs as a function of aa for discredited broken V-pattern baffle air
channel at distinct selected Re . It can be observed that at any aa, the
Nurs is the highest for the aa ¼ 60
for each value of Re. These
outcomes broadly agree with previous studies on baffle roughened
channel [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
4.2. Friction factor
Invariable, use of baffle roughness substantially enhances Nurs
from heated surface of air channels however, there occurs a cor-
responding rise in frictional losses. In this experimental investiga-
tion, effect of discretized broken V-pattern baffle parameters such
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
Fig. 14. (A) Variation of frs with Re at different Hb/H. (B) Variation of frs with Hb/H at
different selected Re.
as, Dd/Lv, gw/Hb, Hb/H, Pb/H and aa on friction characteristics of the
air channel has been studied extensively and discussed below.
The variation of frs with Re for distinct values of Dd/Lv and fixed
values of other baffle parameters as gw/Hb ¼ 1.0 Hb/H ¼ 0.50 Pb/
H ¼ 1.5 and aa ¼ 60
has been shown in Fig. 12(A). It is seen that the
value of frs reduces with rising Re and towards a kept data as ex-
pected. The frs rises with rise in the, Dd/Lv of up to 0.67 and reduces
with further rise in the Dd/Lv. The plot shows that the highest and
lowest values of frs for discretized broken V-pattern baffle air
channel occur for the, Dd/Lv of 0.67 and 0.26 respectively. The lesser
value of frs for broken on the upstream side is due to weakened
strength of secondary stream. Fig. 12(B) shows the values of the frs
as a function of Dd/Lv for a 60
discredited broken V-pattern baffle
air channel at different selected Re It can be observed that at any Dd/
Lv, the frs is the highest for the Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67 for all value of Re. These
outcomes broadly agree with previous studies on broken baffle air
channels These outcomes broadly agree with previous studies on
baffle roughened channel [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
The variation of frs with Re for different values of gw/Hb and fixed
values of other baffle parameters as Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, Hb/H ¼ 0.50, Pb/
H ¼ 1.5 and aa ¼ 60
has been shown in Fig. 13(A). It has been
observed that for all values of gw/Hb, frs reduce with rise in Re.
Fig. 13(A) shows that at all Re, the frs rises as gw/Hb is raised from 0.5
to 1.0 and decreases as gw/Hb is raised further. Fig. 13(B) shows the
865
Fig. 15. (A) Variation of frs with Re at different Pb/H. (B) Variation of frs with Pb/H at
different selected Re.
values of the frs as a function of gw/Hb for a 60
discredited broken
V-pattern baffle air channel at distinct selected Re . It can be
observed that at gw/Hb, the frs is the highest for the gw/Hb ¼ 1.0 for
all value of Re. The air streaming through the broken creates tur-
bulence at the downstream side of the gap.
Addition of relative broken width in the baffles induces recir-
culation loops, which are responsible for greater turbulence and
hence higher pressure losses. Strength of secondary stream is
weakened in case of gw/Hb of 1.5 as compared to gw/Hb of 0.5, 0.75,
1.0 and 1.25 hence the frs is lower than in other cases. These out-
comes broadly agree with previous studies on broken baffle chan-
nels. These outcomes broadly agree with previous studies on baffle
roughened channel [15] [17] [22], and [24,25].
The variation of, frs with Re for distinct values of Hb/H have been
plotted in Fig. 14(A). The other roughness parameters were kept as
Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, gw/Hb ¼ 1.0 Pb/H ¼ 1.5, and aa ¼ 60
. It has been
observed from this plot that for a given Hb/H value frs reduces with
rise in Re. Fig. 14(A) clearly shows that frs rises with rise in Hb/H and
the greatest value of frs correspond to Hb/H value of 0.50. Fig 14(B)
shows the values of the frs as a function of Hb/H for a 60
discretized
broken V-pattern baffle air channel at distinct selected Re. It can be
observed that at Hb/H, the frs is the highest for the Hb/H ¼ 0.80 for all
value of Re.
866 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
Fig. 16. (A) Variation of frs with Re at different aa. (B) Variation of frs with aa at different
selected Re.
It is due to the fact that with the rise in Hb/H value, baffles protrude
more and more into the core stream resulting in rise in turbulence
level as well as the frs. These outcomes broadly agree with previous
studies on baffle roughened channel. These outcomes broadly agree
with previous studies on baffle roughened channel [15] [17], and
[24,25].
Fig. 15(A) shows the variation of frs with Re for different values of
Pb/H and fixed values of other baffle parameters as Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, gw/
Hb ¼ 1.0 Hb/H ¼ 0.50 and aa ¼ 60
. It has been observed from
Fig. 15(A) that for all values of Pb/H, frs reduces with rise in Re. For,
Pb/H value of 2.5 and 1.5 yield the lowest and highest values of frs
respectively. Fig. 15(B) shows the values of the frs as a function of Pb/
H for a 60
discretized broken V-pattern baffle air channel at
different selected Re. It can be observed that at Pb/H, the frs is the
highest for the Pb/H ¼ 1.5 for all value of Re. These outcomes broadly
agree with previous studies on roughened channels. These out-
comes broadly agree with previous studies on baffle roughened
channel [15] [17], [22], and [24,25].
The variation of frs with Re for distinct values of aa and fixed
values of other baffle parameters as Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, gw/Hb ¼ 1.0, Pb/
H ¼ 1.5 and Hb/H ¼ 0.50 has been shown in Fig. 16(A). It has been
observed that for all the values of aa, frs reduces with rise in Re. The
smallest and highest value of frs have been obtained corresponding
to aa values of 30
and 60
respectively. Fig. 16(B) shows the values
of the frs as a function of aa for discretized broken V-pattern baffle
Fig. 17. (A) Variation of hp with Re at different Dd/Lv. (B) Variation of hp with Dd/Lv at
different selected Re.
air channel at distinct selected Re. It can be observed that at aa,
thefrs is the highest for the aa ¼ 60
for all value of Re.
4.3. Thermo hydraulic performance
Study of the Nurs and frs characteristics shows that an
improvement in Nurs is in general accompanied with friction power
penalty due to a corresponding increase in the frs. Therefore it is
essential to decide the geometry that will outcome in maximum
improvement in Nurs with minimum frs penalty. In order to achieve
this purpose of simultaneous consideration of thermo hydraulic
performance, researchers proposed a thermo hydraulic parameter
known as efficiency parameter ‘hp’ which evaluates the improve-
ment in Nurs of a roughened air channel compared to that of the
smooth channel for the same pumping power requirement and is
defined as [30,31]:
hp ¼ ðNurs =Nuss Þ=ðfrs =fss Þ0:33 (13)
A heat transfer improvement device having a data of thermo
hydraulic parameter (hp) higher than unity ensures the fruitfulness
of using improvement device and therefore, this parameter is
usually used to compare the performance of distinct roughness
arrangements to prefer the best roughness arrangement among all
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
Fig. 18. (A) Variation of hp with Re at different gw/Hb. (B) Variation of hp with gw/Hb at
different selected Re.
the feasible combinations.
Figs. 17e21 shows the effect of baffle parameters on thermo
hydraulic performance parameter(Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33, as function
of Re. In Table 4, those values of roughness geometry parameters
have been presented for which thermo hydraulic performance
parameter (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33 values have been found to be
highest. The highest absolute value of (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33 has
been observed to be 3.14 corresponding to Dd/Lv value of 0.67, gw/
Hb value of 1.0, Hb/H value of 0.50, Pb/H value of 1.5, and aa value of
60
for discretized broken V-pattern baffle air channel.
On evaluating the thermal hydraulic performance for all
possible sets of roughness parameters one can recognize the
roughness shapes which provides maximum enhancement in heat
transfer at the cost of least friction penalty. The values of thermal
hydraulic performance parameter, hp ¼ (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33
determined for this shape of broken V-pattern baffle have been
compared with the corresponding values for angled baffle [5],
perforated baffle [9], U-shaped baffle [11], delta shaped baffle [17],
V-perforated baffle [22] and continuous V-shaped baffle [18] as
shown in Fig. 22. It can be seen that the broken V-pattern baffle
shape results in the better thermal hydraulic performance,
hp ¼ (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33 among all the shapes investigated.
On the basis of present experimental investigation found that
867
Fig. 19. (A) Variation of hp with Re at different Hb/H. (B) Variation of hp with Hb/H at
different selected Re.
used of broken V-pattern baffle across the width of the plate to
augment the heat transfer rate. Because creating of a gap in the V-
pattern baffle allows release of fluid belonging to secondary flow
and main flow through the gap. The main flow passing through the
gap is the developed flow with thicker boundary layer consisting of
viscous sub layer. As a result of the presence of gap, the secondary
flow along the baffle joins the main flow to accelerate it which
energizes the retarded boundary layer flow along the surface. This
increases the heat transfer through the gap width area behind the
baffle.
5. Conclusions
On the basis of experimental analysis of heat transfer, friction
factor and thermo hydraulic performance of air channel provided
with heated plate having discretized broken V-Pattern baffle shape
of artificial roughness, the subsequent conclusions can be drawn
from the this work:
1. Providing a discretized broken V-pattern baffles outcomes in
substantial improvement in Nurs of air channel the improve-
ment is a strong function of broken width and broken distance.
As compared to the without baffle channel the presence of
868 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872
Fig. 20. (A) Variation of hp with Re at different Pb/H. (B) Variation of hp with Pb/H at
different selected Re.
discretized broken V-pattern baffle rough surface yields Nurs up
to 4.47 times while the frs rises up to 4.59 times in the range of
parameters investigated.
2. The values of Nurs and frs rise with rise in Dd/Lv attains a highest
value corresponding to Dd/Lv value of 0.67 and with further rise
in the value of Dd/Lv, the Nurs and frs are found to decrease. The
value of Nurs and frs is greater for a, Dd/Lv of 0.67 and smaller for
the, Dd/Lv of 0.26. As a result of creating broken near the leading
edge, the strength of the secondary stream may not be sufficient
to energize the main stream passing through the broken and Dd/
Lv does not lead to significant rise in Nurs and frs. A rise in the
values of Dd/Lv signifies shifting of the broken toward trailing
edge. This rise the strength of the secondary stream and Nurs
and frs rises with rise in the Dd/Lv up to 0.67.
3. An rise in gw/Hb outcomes in a rise in Nurs and frs attaining the
highest value corresponding to gw/Hb of 1.0 and the values of
these parameters reduce with further rise of gw/Hb. The value of
Nurs and frs is highest for a, gw/Hb of 1.0 and lowest for the gw/Hb
of 1.5. An increasing broken stream promotes local turbulence
and stream mixing along the broken stream region while the
baffle induced secondary stream is maintained in the air chan-
nel. Therefore, it may be reasoned that the rise in gw/Hb beyond
1.0 reduces the stream velocities through the broken and hence
Fig. 21. (A) Variation of hp with Re at different aa. (B) Variation of hp with aa at different
selected Re.
the local turbulence. At the same time too small broken width
will also not allow sufficient amount of secondary stream fluid
to pass through and hence the turbulence level will remain low.
4. The values of Nurs and frs rise with rise in aa and attain the
highest values corresponding to aa value of 60
. With further
rise in the value of aa beyond 60
, Nurs and frs reduces. The
values of Nurs and frs have been found to rise with rise in Pb/H,
attaining the highest value at pitch value of 1.5 and then reduce
with further rises in Pb/H. The present investigation shows that
baffled air channel with Dd/Lv of 0.67, gw/Hb of 1.0, Hb/H of 0.50,
Pb/H of 1.5, and aa of 60
yields the highest values of thermo
hydraulic performance parameter.
5. Discrete V-pattern baffle has also been shown to be thermal
hydraulic better in comparison to angled baffle, perforated
baffle, U-shaped baffle, delta shaped baffle, V-perforated baffle
and continuous (without broken) V-shaped baffle. Because V-
shaping of the baffle helps in the formation of two leading ends
and a single trailing end as well as two secondary flow cells
which promote turbulent mixing and hence increased heat
transfer. Creating discrete in the V-pattern baffle allows release
of the secondary flow and mix with main flow through discrete.
This result in its acceleration, which energizes the retarded
boundary layer flow along the surface resulting in the increase
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872 869

Table 4
Baffle rough parameters corresponding to maximum hp ¼ (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/fss)0.33

Roughness Fixed parameters Optimum values of Maximum values of hp

parameters (Nurs/Nuss)/(frs/
fss)0.33

gw/Hb Dd/Lv ¼ 0.67, Hb/H ¼ 0.50, Pb/H ¼ 1.5, aa ¼ 60
. 1.0 3.14
Dd/Lv gw/Hb ¼ 1.0, Hb/H ¼ 0.50, Pb/H ¼ 1.5, aa ¼ 60
. 0.67 3.14
Hb/H Dd/Lv of 0.67, gw/Hb of 1.0, Pb/H of 1.5, aa of 60
. 0.50 3.14
Pb/H Dd/Lv of 0.67, gw/Hb of 1.0, Hb/H of 0.50, aa ¼ 60
. 1.5 3.14
aa Dd/Lv of 0.67, gw/Hb of 1.0, Hb/H of 0.50, Pb/H of 1.5. 60
3.14

" 2  2  2  2 #0:5
dy dy dy dy dy
¼ dx þ dx þ dx þ…þ dx
y d x1 1 dx2 2 dx3 3 dxn n

Where dx1, dx2, dx3, … dxn are possible error in measurement of x1,
d
x2, x3, … xn, dy is known as absolute uncertainty and yy is known as
relative uncertainty.
In the present experiment, important parameters considered for
uncertainty analysis are Reynolds number, Heat transfer coefficient,
Nusselt number, friction factor. The data of measured parameters
are given in Table A1.

Table A1
Measured parameters and their respective data

S. No. Parameter Data

1. Length of test section, Lt 1200 mm

Fig. 22. Comparison of thermal hydraulic performance with previous investigations. 2. Width of the channel, W 300 mm
3. Height of channel, H 30 mm
4. Diameter of pipe, DP 80 mm
5. Diameter of orifice meter, Do 36 mm
of the heat transfer through the discrete width are behind the 6. Pressure drop across orifice meter, (Dp)o 185 mm
7. Pressure drop across test section(Dp)d, 56.2 Pa
baffles.
8. Atmospheric pressure, Pa 97500
9. Outlet air temperature, To 25.33
10. Inlet air temperature, Ti 20
6. Future scope 11. Rise in temperature of air, DT 5.33
12. Mean bulk air temperature Tf 22.66
13. Mean plate temperature, Tp 33
The future directions for research can be made on evaluating the
thermohydraulic performance of multi discrete regions in a V-
pattern baffles. Since, the discretization increases heat transfer due
to generation of secondary flow streams, the multi discretization The thermo-physical properties of air have been determined by
will improve the strength of secondary streams which will add up following standard correlations:
to the heat transfer from the absorber plate to the air. Also, the
multi V- pattern baffles in discrete form can be helpful for  0:735
Tf
increasing heat transfer and thereby the overall performance. m ¼ 1:81  105 
293
Appendix A. Uncertainties analysis
 0:0155
Tf
During experimentation, lots of factors come into play which Cp ¼ 1006 
293
causes deviation in the data of the measured parameters from the
actual data. It is essential to investigate this deviation which might
 0:86
occur due to carelessness during experimentation. Uncertainty Tf
analysis provides the maximum possible error in numerical digits.
Ka ¼ 0:0257 
293
It is based on the random sampling during the experimentation.
The uncertainty analysis tells us expected accuracy, not the exact
97500
accuracy of the system. To evaluate uncertainty involve in this ra ¼  Tf
experiment method suggested by Kline and McClintock [40] is 287:045
used. If the data of any parameter is calculated using certain Uncertainty associated with instruments used in various mea-
measured quantities then error in measurement of “y” (parameter) surements of parameters in the experiment is given in Table A2.
is given as follows.
870 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

Table A2
Uncertainty intervals of various measurements

S. No. Measurement Instrument Uncertainty

1. Dimensions of channel Vernier caliper ±0.1 mm

2. Pressure drop across the channel Micro-manometer ±0.1 Pa
3. Pressure drop across the orifice-plate U-tube manometer ±1 mm
4. Temperature measurement Copper-constantan thermocouple ±0.1
C
5. Orifice plate and throat diameter Vernier caliper ±0.1 mm

1. Uncertainty in Area of absorber plate (Ap).

dDhd 2W 2WH
¼ 
Ap ¼ W  Lt dH ðW þ HÞ ðW þ HÞ2

" 2  2 #0:5
dAp dAp dDhd 2  300 2  300  30
Ap ¼ L þ dW ¼  ¼ 1:65289
dLt t dW dH ð300 þ 30Þ ð300 þ 30Þ2

" 2  2 #0:5
" 2  2 #0:5 dDhd dDhd
dAp dLt dW dDhd ¼ dW þ dH
¼ þ dW dH
Ap Lt W

 2  2 0:5
" 2  2 #0:5 dDhd
dAp 0:1 0:1 dW dW þ ddDHhd dH
¼ þ dDhd
Ap 1200 300 ¼
Dhd 2ðW  HÞðW þ HÞ1

dAp h i0:5
¼ 0:00034359 ð1:65289  0:1Þ2 þ ð0:0165289  0:1Þ2
Ap dDhd
¼
Dhd 2ð300  30Þð300 þ 30Þ1
2. Uncertainty in Area of flow (Af).
dDhd
¼ 0:0030304246
Af ¼ W  H Dhd

" 2  2 #0:5
dAf dAf 4. Uncertainty in Area of orifice meter (Ao)
Af ¼ dW þ dH
dW dH p
Ao ¼ D2o
4
"    #0:5
dAf W  dH 2 H  dW 2 Ao 2pDo
¼ þ ¼
Af W H W H dDo 4

" 2  2 #0:5 " 2 #0:5 " 2 #0:5

dAf dH dW dAo pDo pDo  dDo
¼ þ dAo ¼ dD ¼ dDo ¼
Af H W dDo o 2 2

"    #0:5 pDo dDo

dAf 0:1 2 0:1 2 Ao 2  dDo 2  0:1
¼ þ ¼ p2 2 ¼ ¼
Af 30 300 dAo D
4 o
Do 42:96

Ao
dAf ¼ 0:0047
¼ 0:00334995 dAo
Af

5. Uncertainty in density measurement (ra)

3. Uncertainty in measurement of Hydraulic diameter (Dhd)
Pa
4  ðW  HÞ ra ¼
Dhd ¼ ¼ 2ðWHÞðW þ HÞ2 R  To
2  ðW  HÞ
"  2   2 #0:5
h i h i dra dra
dDhd
¼ 2ðWHÞð1ÞðW þ HÞ2 þ ðW þ HÞ1 ð2WÞ
dra ¼  1  dPa þ  1  dTo
dH dPa dTo
 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872 871

2 "    2 #0:5
    2 dV 0:1 2 0:1
1 ra RTo ¼ ð0:016241Þ2 þ ð0:00394Þ2 þ þ
dra ¼ 4   dPa V 300 30
R  To Pa
!   !2 30:5 ¼ 0:017044
Pa ra RTo
þ    dTo 5
R  To2 Pa
8. Uncertainty in useful heat gain (Qu)
" 2  2 #0:5 Qu ¼ ma cp ðT0  Ti Þ ¼ ma cp DT
dra dPa dTo
¼ þ
ra Pa To " 2  2  2 #0:5
dQu dma dcp dDT
Taking Pa ¼ 97500 Pa ¼ þ þ
Qu ma cp DT
" 2  2 #0:5
dra 0:1 0:1 Uncertainty in specific heat is. 0.1
¼ þ ¼ 3:94  103 So, equation becomes
ra 97500 25:33
"  2  2 #0:5
dQu 0:1 0:1
¼ ð0:016241Þ2 þ þ ¼ 0:02481
6. Uncertainty in mass flow rate measurement (ma) Qu 1006:141 5:33

" #0:5
2ra ðDpÞ0
ma ¼ Cdo Ao 4
1b
9. Uncertainty in heat transfer coefficient (ht)
" #0:5 Q Qu
2 ht ¼  u ¼
ma ¼ Cdo  Ao  r0:5
a  ðDpÞ0 
0:5
4 Ap  Tp  Tf Ap  DTf
1b

" 2 !2 30:5
2  2  2    
dma dma dma dht d Qu 2 dAp 2 dDTf
dma ¼ dC þ dA þ dr ¼4 þ þ 5
dCdo do dAo o dra a ht Qu Ap DTf
 2 #0:5
dma "
þ dðDpÞ0  #0:5 
dðDpÞ0 dht 2 0:1 2 2
¼ ð0:02481Þ þ ð0:00034359Þ þ
ht 22:66
" 2  2  2  2 #0:5 ¼ 0:0252017
dma dCdo dAo dra dðDpÞ0
¼ þ þ þ
m Cdo Ao ra ðDpÞ0
10. Uncertainty in Nusselt number (Nurs)
The data of
ht Dhd
dCdo Nurs ¼
¼ 1:5% Ka
Cdo
" 2  2  2 #0:5
The uncertainty in (Dp)0, for U-tube manometer is 0.2 mm. dNurs dDhd dht dKa
¼ þ þ



Nurs Dhd ht Ka
ðDpÞ0 ¼ DðHÞo sin30  sin90 ¼ 185mm
"
" dNurs
2  2 #0:5 ¼ ð0:0030304246Þ2 þ ð0:0252017Þ2
dma 1:5 2 0:2 2 Nurs
¼ þ ð0:0047Þ þ ð0:00394Þ þ
m 100 185   #0:5
0:00001 2
¼ 0:016241 þ 0:0394161
0:02529

7. Uncertainty in measurement of air velocity in channel (V)

11. Uncertainty in Reynolds Number (Re)
ma V$Dhd ra VDhd
V¼ Re ¼ ¼
ra  W  H n m
" 2  2  2  2 #0:5 " 2  2  2  2 #0:5
dV dma dra dW dH dRe dDhd dV dra dm
¼ þ þ þ ¼ þ þ þ
V ma ra W H Re Dhd V ra m
872 R. Kumar et al. / Renewable Energy 101 (2017) 856e872

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