University of the West of England

School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)
Abstract – This work models and analyses a flat plate v fluid velocity
solar collector’s thermal performance using
computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In solar thermal Vw Wind speed.

systems, flat plate collectors are widely used for a ∆P Pressure drops.
variety of purposes, such as room heating, water
heating, and industrial activities. For these collectors α Absorption of the absorber plate
to be designed and operated as efficiently as possible, ρ Density of the fluid
precise modelling and performance prediction are
essential. Conduction, Convection, Radiation are three 1. Introduction
of the related heat transfer mechanisms that are
An essential resource for developing nations is
simulated by the CFD method, providing a thorough
energy, most of the energy needed in the globe is
and extensive analysis. The absorber plate, riser tubes,
produced by traditional fossil fuels, and this demand is
insulation, and glass cover are all included in the three-
growing daily. Particularly, using traditional energy
dimensional CFD model of the flat plate collector that
sources like natural gas, coal, diesel oil results in toxic
is created. Using the required boundary conditions and
pollutants. The combustion of traditional fossil fuels
material parameters, the governing equations for
releases greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and
radiation, heat transport, and fluid flow are
nitrogen dioxide, which worsens environmental
numerically solved. In addition to taking wind and
degradation. A growing global trend is the use of
environmental factors consideration, the model takes
renewable energy as an alternative to non-renewable
into consideration how thermophysical qualities vary
energy to lessen the various issues and risks associated
with temperature. The collector’s flow properties, heat
with traditional resources. Compared to traditional
flux patterns, and temperature distributions are all
energy sources, renewable energy, sometimes referred
clearly shown by the CFD simulations. The correctness
to as green energy, has less of an adverse environmental
and good agreement of the model are confirmed by
impact. In contrast to traditional fossil fuels, green
validation against experimental data. The effectiveness
energy refers to energy sources and technologies that
of the collector and its ability to transport heat are
have less of an adverse environmental impact. These
studied using parametric studies, which look at the
long-term sustainable energy sources produce less
effects of distinctive design parameters such glazing
greenhouse gas emissions because they are typically
materials, absorber plate geometry, and tube spacing.
generated from renewable natural resources including
The findings show what setups and settings work best to
sunlight, wind, hydro, tidal, biomass, and geothermal
maximize the flat plate collector’s thermal
heat. Consequently, using as many renewable energy
performance. The results obtained from this
sources as workable has become an essential issue.
investigation aid in the creation of better designs for
Renewable energy needs to become a major player in
solar collectors and the augmentation of system
the world energy market to progress the development of
efficiency in general for solar thermal applications.
a sustainable and environmentally pleasant energy
Keyword – Flat Plate Solar Collector, Room Heating, future. Solar energy harvesting and storage is becoming
Water Heating, Industrial Activities, Conduction, increasingly popular among the various renewable
Convection, Radiation. energy sources. An important and clean way to deliver
enormous amounts of pollution-free energy is through
NOMENCLATURE solar energy harvesting, which is also proving to be a
potential source of electricity and heat. Using solar
a - Area of the tube energy collector, which convert solar radiation into heat
D - Hydraulic diameter and transfer that heat to a fluid passing through the
collector (typically air, water, or oil), or direct
h Heat Transfer coefficient.
absorption solar collectors, which use a working fluid to
hconv Heat loss coefficient from the bottom side solar intensity. directly absorb solar radiation, solar energy can be
transformed into heat energy. Since solar energy can be
I solar intensity
widely dispersed and, with the right management, fulfils
l length of the tube future energy demands, it presents a promising avenue
for sustainable energy generation. Modern solar
Q heat flux on absorber plate. collectors come in diverse designs, including vacuum
tubes, parabolic dishes, flat plate collectors, and

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 University of the West of England
School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)
parabolic trough collectors.rs. Saxena et al. (2014) Toapanta et al. (2020). Type I collector outperformed
improved conventional collectors and showed that a Types II and III, according to the CFD data. Thermal
range of techniques, such as the use of extended efficiency was 68%, 51%, and 60% for Types I, II, and
surfaces with fins, corrugated absorbers, packed bed III, in that order. Additionally, the Type I cross section
materials, and artificial roughness, can improve the had the lowest pressure drop (108.3 Pa) and fluid
performance of solar collectors. In the results they velocity (0.266 m/s) among the three cross-sectional
obtained, Taherian et al. (2015) concentrated on bright designs. The effectiveness of a flat plate solar collector
and partly overcast days while analyzing the fluid made up of ten riser tubes was experimentally
modelling of a flat plate collector. The dynamic investigated by Gunja et al. (2021). With the aim to
modelling of a closed thermosiphon solar water heater forecast the temperature of the absorber plate and
with a horizontal mantle-style storage tank under outflow, they also created a CFD model based on the
weather circumstances was looked at and contrasted experimental data, taking advantage of a single riser
with the findings of the experiment. It manages to tube that is attached at the bottom of the absorber. It
achieve a very excellent average maximum efficiency also ran numerical simulations under steady-state
of (Value). The system's immediate efficiency decreases conditions. With increased water flow rates, solar
when the temperature increases relative to the incident radiation, ambient temperature, absorber plate material
radiation. Hawash et al. (2016) investigated the conductivity, and lower inlet water temperatures, it was
effectiveness of a flat plate solar collector (FPSC) using discovered that the collector’s thermal efficiency was
double distilled water (DDW) and aluminum nano-fluid strengthened. The effect of nanofluid on a flat-plate
in six various volume fractions ranging from (Value) to solar collector’s performance was experimentally
(Value). Alumina nanofluid volume fraction increases studied by Yousefi et al. (2022). The experimental
improve the thermal performance of the Flat plate solar results show that a larger improvement in the collector’s
collector (FPSC) until it reaches (Value), as shown by efficiency is caused by a higher difference in pH
the numerical results. Additionally, when the nano-fluid between the nanofluid technology and the isoelectric
fraction increases, so does the pressure drops. In an point. Wei et al. (2023) experimental study, which
experimental solar water heating system, (Bhowmik and focused on a recently created solar heat collector,
Amin, 2017) discovered that adding a reflector evaluated a revolutionary solar water heating system.
enhanced collector efficiency by roughly 10%. A dimple With a maximum efficiency of 66%, the collector
absorber solar collector’s performance was showed impressive performance. In addition, the system
quantitatively investigated by Manjunath et al. (2018), managed to successfully elevate the water’s temperature
and the outcomes were compared with those of a in the holding area by 200 kg in just one operating day,
conventional flat plate solar collector. According to the by 25.0 Celsius. The collector’s immediate efficiency
results, the dimple absorber’s average surface increases from 56.18% to 63.97% when the diameter of
temperature is around (Value) Celsius higher than that the collection tubes is increased from 8 to 20 mm,
of the flat plate solar collector. Additionally, the water according to an experimental investigation by Said et al.
exit temperature of the dumbbell absorber solar (2024). Therefore, increasing the collection tube’s
collector is on average (Value) Celsius higher than that diameter is a workable way to improve the collector's
of the flat plate solar collector. The study finds that the immediate efficiency. According to the literature review,
inclusion of a dimple pocket in surface geometry a lot of work has been done on flat plate collectors to
enhances the area available for diffusion heat transfer, improve that. Some of these efforts include using
which in turn raises the flow of heat to the absorber. As dimples or roughening the absorber plate, converting
a result, the effectiveness of solar thermal systems may the circular riser tube into a semi-circular or elliptical
be boosted by using a dimple solar collector. Flat plate shape, using nanofluid as the working fluid, and earlier
collectors with riser tubes that elliptical and circular numerical studies that were based on steady state
geometries have been investigated by (Shelke and Patil, conditions. This study’s primary goal is to figure out
2019). It was discovered that the circular tube geometry how using various circular riser tube designs affects flat
collector’s outlet temperature is 4.17 Celsius lower than plate collectors’ thermal performance. Thus, in this
that of the elliptical shape collector. A flat plate work, a numerical analysis was conducted to decide
collector with three distinct cross sections (circular, whether changing the riser tube’s shape from circular
semi-circular, and elliptical), each with a hydraulic will increase the thermal performance of flat plate
diameter of 10 mm (Type I), 5.12 mm (Type II), and collectors (FPCs). To get a more realistic heat exchange
6.16 mm (Type III) is evaluated numerically by phenomenon in the flat plate collector, the simulations

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 University of the West of England
School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)
were run under transient settings. Because of the bigger 1.1.2. The material’s thermophysical
surface area in contact with the absorber plate, circular characteristics
tubes have the potential to send heat more effectively.
Water was selected as the working fluid passing
1.1. Methodology through the riser tube in the current simulation since it
1.1.1. An explanation of the collector’s geometric has well-established thermal characteristics as a heat
arrangement transfer working fluid for numerous purposes. The heat
generated from the absorber plate is transferred via the
A collection of many parallel riser tubes joined to a working fluid. The absorber plate and riser tube were
flat absorber plate is often the component that makes up made of copper and aluminium, respectively.
a flat plate collector. Depending on the quantity of the
collection tubes used, the collector diameter varies. For 1.1.3. Procedure and setup for a simulation
the sake of simplicity, the analysis for a flat plate
collector’s single riser tube is done in that current work. In the current work, the simulation programme
For that level of simplicity, some scientists used single ANSYS FLUENT was utilized to analyse the flat plate
riser tube assumptions when performing computational collector. As seen in Fig 2, ANSYS Design Modeller
simulations of flat plate collectors. Evaluating a single was used to design the solar collector’s three-
riser tube is adequate to understand the behavior of the dimensional computational domain. Next, the
collector since it takes into consideration adiabatic and computational scope of flat plate collector was extended
symmetric side walls. Thus, the heat exchange rate of a to include the development of three-dimensional hybrid
single tube collector multiplied by N may be used to mesh. 0.0125 kg/s was the inlet mass flow rate used in
determine the collector total heat transfer when several the simulations, which were run with laminar flow. We
riser tubes (N number) are employed. Fig 1 displays an set up the simulation using the pressure-based transient
illustrated diagram of the flat plate solar collector. Table option. Pressure-velocity coupling with no-slip
I lists the collector’s geometrical specifications, For the conditions at the solid surfaces was accomplished using
most part, FPC is constructed using circular tubes. The the coupled scheme solution approach. A second-order
tube and absorber only make line contact when using upwind discretization is used to solve the energy,
the circular tube, though. The improvement of the continuity, and momentum conservation equations. The
thermal performance of FPC will ensure the expansion Navier-Stokes equation was solved, and the fluid flow
of the area where contact occurs between the circular field was described using the finite-volume approach.
tube and absorber plate. After that, the simulations were run in a transient mode
of operations with the appropriate boundary conditions
applied in each scenario. The simulation was started
with hybrid initialization.

Figure 1 illustrated diagram of the flat plate solar collector.

Collector Specifications
Length of absorber plate 1600 mm
Width of absorbent plate 100 mm Figure 2 Model geometry of computational domain.
Thermal Conductivity of 387.6 W/m-K
absorber plate 1.1.4. Governing Equations
Density of plate material 8954 kg/m^3
Plate thickness 1 mm The following mass, momentum, and energy
Pipeline thickness 1 mm
Table 1 Collector Specification conservation equations are taken into consideration by
the ANSYS FLUENT set up while solving the issue for

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 University of the West of England
School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)
the flat plate collector analysis. The heat transfer and Heat flux, a time-dependent incident radiation, was
distribution in the collector and the water flow inside transmitted to the collector’s top (see Fig. 3). An
the riser tube are both described by these equations. imported user-defined file into the FLUENT setup is
These equations are solved using ANSYS Fluent in the needed for running this dependent upon time heat flux
format shown below: the following is a possible profile at the top of the collector. To create the interface
formulation for the continuity equation, often known as between fluid and solid zones, wall boundary conditions
the equation of conservation of mass: were used in conjunction with one another. Laminar
flow is indicated by a Reynolds number of around
∇ × ( ρ v ) =0 (Value) and a constant mass flow rate of 0.0125 kg/s.
the mass flow inlet condition is utilized in the inlet
Where ρ is density and v is velocity vector. boundary condition because water is thought to be
The momentum equation is written as: incompressible, and the mass flow rate is known.
∂ However, a pressure outlet boundary condition with
(ρv ⃗ )+ ∇ ⋅( ρ v ⃗ v ⃗ )=−∇ P+∇ ⋅( τ)+ ρ ⃗g atmospheric pressure is added at the collector’s outlet to
∂t
improve the rate of convergence. At the collector riser
Where P is the static pressure, ρg⃗ is the gravitational tube’s inlet, where the mass flow rate is continually
body force, and τ is the stress tensor described as: 0.0125 kg/s, the ambient temperature is 310 K. With a
heat convective transfer coefficient of 8.8 W/m^2K, the

[
τ =μ ( ( ∇ ⃗v + ∇ ⃗v ) ) −
−T 2
3 ((
∇ ⋅v ⃗I ))] ,
heat loss from the absorber plate’s lower surface is
defined. When the ambient temperature of the free
stream is 310 K, the wind speed surrounding the
collector is 2 m/s. The numerical analysis was
where μ is the molecular viscosity, I is the unit tensor, performed under the following assumption:
and the second term on the right-hand side is the effect
of volume dilation. The energy equation is given by: 1. It is assumed that the riser tube, water, and absorber
plate have constant thermophysical parameters.
∂ 2. The mass flow rate of the water is constant, and it
∂t
( ( ρE ) +∇ ⋅ ( ⃗v ( ρ E+ P ) ) ) =( ∇ ⋅ ( ( k ∇ T −∑ J hj ⃗J )
j ) ) + ( τ . ⃗vis) incompressible.
,
3. There is laminar fluid flow.
T 4. The collector is surrounded by the same ambient
h j=∫ C p dT temperature.
T ref 5. The collector’s is surrounded by the same ambient
temperature.
2
ρ v 6. The collector’s thermal capacitance-induced heat
E=h+ + storage is disregarded.
P 2
7. As depicted in Fig 3, the heat flow at the collector’s
ρ top is transitory and changes over time.
For incompressible flow: h= ∑ Y j h j+ P 8. Neglecting heat losses from the four edges.
j 9. Natural convective heat loss from the collector
The enthalpy is denoted by E is the equations above, bottom is taken into consideration; this is
along with the diffusion flux of species j, specific heat dependent on wind speed.
of fluid denoted by Cp, time represented by t, and 10. The following equation was used to compute the
sensible enthalpy T_reference for the pressure-based convective heat loss coefficient:
solution is (Value K), and Y_j is the mass fraction of h conv=2.8+3 V w
species j.
1.1.5. Conditions and presumption around Where V_wind is the wind speed.
boundaries 1.1.6. Formula for data reduction in mathematics
Transparent white glass with an absorptance of 10% and The rate at which heat is transferred from radiation
a transmittance of 90% is regarded as the top collector to a fluid determines the quantity of thermal energy that
in the current numerical investigation. 90% of the may be gathered and transferred. In applications such as
absorptance of copper is utilized as the absorber plate.

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 University of the West of England
School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)
solar thermal energy systems or heat exchangers, the The circular tube’s Nusselt number and friction factor
efficiency of the system is directly connected to the rate are denoted by Nu and f0, respectively. Other tubes’
of heat transfer. Because of the collector’s increased Nusselt numbers and friction factors are denoted by the
heat transfer rate, a system is more efficient if it can letters Nu and f, respectively. The following formulas
gather more energy in each amount of time. The are used to compute the Nusselt number and the friction
following equation may be used to determine the factor:
quantity of thermal energy that the collector, known as
usable energy Qu, delivers: Dh ∆ P
f=
( )
2
Qu=mC p (T o−T i) ρv
l
2
The formula for the mass flow rate of the fluid via the
collector is m (kg/s), Where Cp is the fluid’s specific h Dh
hear and Toutlet and Tinlet are the fluid’s intake and N u=
outlet temperatures, respectively. A solar collector k
system’s efficiency is an important consideration. When The variable ρ , k, and v represent the fluid’s density,
calculating the immediate efficiency of a solar collector,
velocity, and thermal conductivity, respectively, and l,
ηi , one may apply the following equation to get the ratio the riser tube’s length, and h, the heat transfer
of usable energy gain to total incoming radiation on the coefficient. The hydraulic diameter is indicated by Dh,
collector’s glazing surface: and it was measured as:
Qu 4 Ac
ηi = D h=
A×I p
Where the solar irradiation is represented by I (W/m^2) Where Ac and p stand for the riser tube’s perimeter and
and the glazing area of the collector is denoted by cross-sectional area, respectively.
(m^2). The equation below may be used to compute the
pressure drop ΔP caused by the flow through collector 1.1.7. Independent test of mesh generation and
riser tube: mesh elements
Mesh creation in the computational realm occurs
∆ P=Pi−Po
following the creation of the FPC geometric model. For
Where the inlet and outlet pressures are denoted by Pin the simulation to produce an accurate result, proper
let and Poulet, respectively. For flat plate collectors, meshing is essential. Although it takes more processing
higher efficiency and useful heat gain are advantageous; time for the simulation, fines mesh with a higher
but, as pressure drops, more energy is required to move element count yield better result. Because hybrid
the working fluid. The pressure drop will also alter meshing will produce an accurate output in less
because of the collector riser’s various geometrical computing time, it was done to lower the overall
cross-sections (circular). Consequently, performance number of mesh elements. Hex mesh components with
evaluation criteria (PEC) are implemented to determine structured have been created by using a non-confirming
the most efficient type of solar collector riser by meshing technique with finite volume discretization. A
balancing the increase in heat transmission and pressure fine mesh was created in the vicinity of the riser tube’s
loss. The following formula is used to calculate the inner and outer walls because of the strong from the
PEC: riser tube gradually a decrease in the mesh element size.
Figure 3 and 4 illustrates a sample mesh pattern.

PEC=
( )
Nu
Nu o

( )
1
f 3
fo

Page 5 of 6
 University of the West of England
School of Engineering
Computational Fluid Dynamics Coursework

UFMFWL-15-M-05
Modelling and Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Adham Elsamanoudy Albin Matthew

Student ID: 18045371 Student ID: (Number)

Figure 3 illustrates a sample mesh pattern.

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