Providing roughness is an effective method to heat fluids to high temperature. Present paper make use of concave dimple roughness on one and three sides of roughened ducts aimed at determining rise in heat transfer and friction of three sides over one side roughened duct. Three sides roughened duct produces high heat transfer compared to one side roughened. Results are shown as a rise in Nusselt number and friction factor of three sides over one side roughened duct. Experimental investigation was conducted under actual outdoor condition at National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India to test various sets of roughened collectors. Roughness parameter varied as relative roughness pitch 8–15, relative roughness height 0.018–0.045, dimple depth to diameter ratio 1–2, Reynolds number 2500–13500 at fixed aspect ratio (width/hight) 8. Highest enhancement in Nusselt number for varying relative roughness pitch, height, and diameter ratio was respectively found as 2.6 to 3.55 times, 1.91 to 3.42 times and 3.09 to 3.94 times compared to one side dimple roughened duct. Highest rise in friction for three sides over one side roughened duct for these varying parameters was respectively found as 1.62 to 2.79 times, 1.52 to 2.34 times and 2.21 to 2.56 times. To visualize the effect of roughness parameter on heat transfer and friction factor, variation in Nusselt number and friction factor for varying roughness parameters with Reynolds number is shown.

Flow mechanism under roughened solar air heater is quite complex. This paper is an effort towards determining the governing equations for heat transfer and friction factor for inclined spherical balls roughened ducts. With the availability of these equations, it is easier to predict the thermal and thermohydraulic performance of such roughened solar air heaters. The governing equations are derived based on the experimental data generated under actual outdoor condition at the test rig designed and fabricated at the terrace of the Mechanical Engineering Department, the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur in India, in terms of roughness and flow parameters. Maximum augmentation in Nusselt number and friction factor for varying relative roughness pitch, relative roughness height, spherical ball height to diameter ratio, and angle of attack was respectively found to be of the order of 2.1 to 3.54 times, 1.87 to 3.21 times, 2.89 to 3.27 times and 1.74 to 3.56 times for Nusselt number and 0.84 to 1.79 times, 1.46 to 1.91 times, 1.67 to 2.34 times and 1.21 to 2.67 times for friction factor in comparison to non-roughened duct. The optimum roughness parameters under present investigation have been found.

Artificial roughness has been found to enhance the thermal performance from the collector to air in the solar air heater duct. This paper presents the results of experimental investigation on thermal performance of three sides solar air heater roughened with combination of multiple-v and transverse wire. The range of variation of system and operating parameters is investigated within the limits of relative roughness pitch of 10−25, relative roughness height of 0.018−0.042, angle of attack of 30°−75° at varying flow Reynolds number in the of range of 3000−12000 for fixed value of relative roughness width of 6. The augmentation in fluid temperature flowing under three side’s roughened duct is found to be 36.57% more than that of one side roughened duct. The maximum thermal efficiency is obtained at relative roughness pitch of 10 and relative roughness height of 0.042, and angle of attack of 60°. The augmentation in thermal efficiency of three sides over those of one side roughened duct is found to be 46−57% for varying values of relative roughness pitch, 38−50% for varying values of relative roughness height, and 40−46% for varying values of angle of attack.