Transient response of a solar regenerator

Since a solution-air solar regenerator is exposed continuously to varying insolation, the instantaneous transfer process can be significantly different from quasisteady conditions. In the present analysis the first order deviations of the instantaneous conditions from the quasisteady conditions have been considered by solving the governing unsteady laminar boundary layer equations. The results show that early in the morning and late in the evening the instantaneous values are different from quasisteady values, but the deviation is insignificant for ±2 hours from noon, particularly for mass transfer coefficients, which determine the performance of the regenerator. The study further reveals that the ratio of solution velocity to air velocity also influences the performance of the regenerator. © 1978 Martinus Nijhoff.