Investigating the single pass baffled solar air heater (SAH) with an organic PCM (OPCM)

The current work shows the results of an experimental assessment into the performance of a baffled solar based air heater (SAH-BP) with the organic phase changing material (OPCM) back-up. The experiments were conducted in two modes of operation during two identical solar days in the month of February 2021 at 11.0168° North, 76.9558° East. They were SAH having baffled absorber without any PCM (SAH-BP), and baffled SAH with OPCM (SAH-BP-OPCM). The baffle plates were attached over the absorber surface in alternative sequential way and OPCM was stored beneath the absorber. The normal commercial grade paraffin was employed as OPCM and the experimentations were carried-out at the constant flow rate of 0.18 kg/s. The results substantiated that the amalgamation of OPCM within the baffled SAH enhanced its performance in terms of energy efficiency. The OPCM improved the energy efficiency of the SAH-BP by 11.25%.