Role of computational fluid dynamics in solar air heating: a comprehensive overview of applications, benefits, and future directions

Abstract Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a highly effective and versatile tool, particularly in the design and optimisation of solar air heating systems. Its preference over traditional experimentation stems from its time efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ability to reduce the need for expensive physical tests, enabling rapid design iterations. A bibliometric review examining the role of computational fluid dynamics in solar air heating, spanning articles from 1973 to 2024, was conducted. The bibliometric analysis was conducted using the Biblioshiny package in R software and visualisation of similarities. The bibliometric analysis highlights the growing research interest in CFD applications for solar air heaters, as evidenced by rising publication trends and significant contributions from various countries, institutions, sources, and authors. Additionally, the study employed CFD for computational modelling of solar air heaters with and without baffles. The simulations revealed that incorporating baffles significantly enhances thermal performance, though a balanced approach is essential to ensure sustainable energy utilisation. As a future direction, researchers should explore the integration of artificial neural networks (ANNs) with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) on a broader scale. This hybrid approach holds immense potential, leveraging ANN’s rapid data processing capabilities alongside CFD’s detailed simulations to optimise solar air heater designs.