Performance of the solar air vortex engine using a porous medium: an experimental assessment

• A porous medium of black glass beads was integrated to improve thermal storage. • Comparative experiments on thermal performance were conducted with and without the porous medium. • Efficiency reached 54.16 % without the medium and 48.7 % with the medium during the late hours. • The porous medium enhanced heat retention and performance stability towards the end of the day. This study investigates the performance of a solar air vortex engine using a porous medium for thermal energy storage. This is one of the first experimental studies evaluating porous media (Black-coated glass) for thermal storage in solar vortex engines. An experimental setup was used to evaluate the system's performance with and without the porous medium. The results indicated that the maximum thermal efficiency was 54.16 % at 13:00 pm. without the medium, whereas it decreased to 46.4 % with the medium. However, at 16:00, the efficiency was higher with the medium (48.7 %) than without it (46.4 %). The medium demonstrated its ability to retain heat for a longer period. The maximum mechanical power output was 88.8 mW without the medium and 63.4 mW with it at 13:00 pm.. However, at 16:00 pm., the mechanical power output improved with the porous medium, reaching 56.7 mW compared to 43.6 mW without it. The results demonstrate that the porous medium significantly improves the system's thermal performance, ensures a more uniform heat distribution in the solar collector, and enhances mechanical power output in later stages of operation. Future research could explore alternative porous materials, different porosity levels, and large-scale industrial applications.