Thermal Performance and Cost Assessment Analysis of a Double-Pass V-Trough Solar Air Heater

Solar air heating systems offer an effective alternative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a profitable cost. This work details the design, construction, and experimental evaluation of a novel double-pass V-trough solar air heater with semicircular receivers, which was built with low-cost materials readily available in the Mexican market. Thermal performance tests were conducted in accordance with the ANSI-ASHRAE 93-2010 standard. The results indicated a peak collector efficiency of 0.4461 and total heat losses of 8.8793 W/(m2 °C), with an air mass flow rate of 0.0174 kg/s. The instantaneous thermal efficiency varied between 0.2603 and 0.5633 with different air flow rates and an inlet air temperature close to the ambient temperature. The outlet air temperature reached 70 °C, making it suitable for dehydrating fruits or vegetables at competitive operating costs. Additionally, a second-law analysis was carried out, and the exergy efficiency was between 0.0037 and 0.0407. Finally, a Levelized Cost of Energy analysis was performed, and the result was USD 0.079/kWh, which was 31% lower than that of a conventional electric air heater system.