Energy and exergetic analysis of a solar air heater for enhanced thermohydraulic performance with side wall treatment

This numerical study investigates the performance enhancement of a solar air heater using side wall treatment for a Reynolds numbers range of 3000 to 24000. Thermal enhancement is evaluated for various kinds of straight and tapered side wall designs. The simulations use a DO radiation model to simulate heat inducement due to solar radiation inside the numerical domain. Notably, at a Re of 24000, the SSW 40 and TSW (40-10) configurations had maximal thermal efficiencies of 89.25% and 90.62% respectively. The TSW (40-10) arrangement exhibits the highest exergy efficiency at 4.08%. Environmental assessments show a CO 2 mitigation rate of 1.06 tCO 2 /year and an annual environmental cost of $15.5. Furthermore, the energy payback time is estimated at 2.5 months, but the exergy payback time is more than a decade. Enhanced solar air heater designs increase energy efficiency, making renewable heating systems more viable for both residential and commercial customers. This results in lower CO 2 emissions and faster economic returns, promoting widespread adoption of green technologies. • Numerical analysis of SAH with Straight and Tapered arc side wall. • Effect of varying arc diameters are investigated. • Tapered Side Wall (40-10) shows the highest thermohydraulic efficiency of 85.65% • Tapered Side Wall (40-10) exhibits highest exergy efficiency of 4.08%. • Maximum CO 2 mitigation is found to be 1.06 tCO2/annum.