Influence of Adding Rectangular Fins on the Performances of a Thermal Solar Air Plane Collector

Low heat-air exchange in a dynamic vein of the solar collector still remains one of the major issues to solve in the use of thermal solar energy. These exchanges do not enable to achieve better performance or increased energy efficiency with these Systems. Instead, the fitting of fins on the absorber of the collector significantly improves heat transfer. So, the objective of our study is to assess the performance of a flat plate collector equipped with rectangular fins in natural and forced convections. In a theoretical study, a program to simulate the thermal performance of the transitory regime collector was established using MATLAB 7.8.0 calculation software. Regarding the experimental part, a set of measurements of solar radiation and temperatures of the fluid and the collector components were undertaken both in natural and forced convections. Theoretical and experimental results are consistent and encouraging. The maximum experimental productivity reaches 75% in forced convection and 40% in natural convection. The theoretical experimental efficiency is 84.5% in forced convection.