Estimating the effects of environmental conditions on active solar wall air heating system efficiency

Abstract

© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers. This study analyzed the effect of the environmental conditions on the thermal efficiency of an active solar wall with forced convection. The analyzed system is comprised of a double glass glazing and a massive wall with an opening and central channel in it. In order to increase the efficiency, we provided a fan at the bottom vent of the wall. The active solar wall is more advanced compared to the simple Trombe solar wall with a relatively low thermal resistance, which we took as a reference in our experimental analysis. This paper presents a one-dimensional steady-state mathematical model for simplified analysis of the efficiency of active solar wall air heating systems. We analyzed the obtained results in order to predict the effects of environmental parameter variations, such as solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind velocity, on thermal efficiency.