Effects of a discrete heat sources located on the air channel on the performance of a Trombe wall

Using solar energy, a Trombe wall is a passive solar design in an attempt to improve the energy efficiency inside buildings. Trombe walls absorb thermal energy through a glass panel on the outside. This energy is used to heat the cold air from inside the buildings through the inlet at the bottom of the air gap between the glaze and the wall. The warm air rises and it is redirected back into the building through the outlet at the top of the air gap. The performance of Trombe walls can be improved by adding discrete heat sources. In this study, an investigation on the temperature rise and the induced flow rate of the air flow was studied with the presence of a heat source placed at different positions on the air channel. By Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique, the dimension of the heat source was varied to obtain their effects on the efficiency of the Trombe wall. An increase of 18°C in temperature was attained when the heat source was placed near the outlet of the air gap. The presence of discrete heat sources is an approach to improve the performance of Trombe walls. Keywords: Trombe Wall, natural heating, natural ventilation, CFD, FVM.