A critical review on different roughness geometries and their effect on heat transfer and friction factor

Solar air heater (SAH) is simple and the greatest effective approach to utilize and convert solar energy into thermal energy for heating utilizations. The employment of artificial roughness under side of the observer surface is the key technique for augmenting heat transfer with minimal friction factor penalty. Current paper summarized different kinds of artificial roughness used in SAH, which augments its performance. In this review article, 96 research papers are cited, which provide detailed information about the effect of different geometrical parameters on heat transfer and friction factor. This paper also brings the information about the optimum roughness parameters and heat transfer and friction factor correlation developed by different investigators in tabular form. Optimum roughness parameters and empirical correlations are used for comparative analysis of heat transfer, friction factor, and thermo-hydraulic performance parameter (THPP) of different roughness geometries. The best performing roughness geometry is reported on the basis of comparative analysis. Mathematical model is developed for predicting the thermal efficiency (η_th) of roughened SAH duct.