A two-pass solar air heater

An air heater, in which the air first flows between metallic and cover plates and is then made to flow between two metallic plates in opposite direction, is discussed theoretically. The governing equations of the model are solved explicitly under suitable conditions. The measured values of the solar insolation and ambient temperature are represented by Fourier series. The effects of collector length and flow rate have been studied. The air heater in this mode of operation is more efficient than one in which air flows between two metallic plates in the same direction, provided the plate length is less than 5 m.