Chapter 4: Simulation Procedure
4.1 Introduction
This chapter outlines the methodology and proposed procedure for simulating the performance of
the solar collector water heating system. This plan serves as a foundational framework for the
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to be executed in the subsequent project phase
(Graduation Project 2). The objective is to define the geometric model, specify the physical
parameters, and detail the ANSYS environment that will be used to analyze heat transfer
efficiency.
4.2 Software and Hardware Environment
Software: The geometry was designed in SolidWorks; the simulation will be conducted using
ANSYS 2025 R1 specifically the following modules:
SpaceClaim for geometry preparation.
ANSYS Meshing for mesh generation.
ANSYS Fluent (Computational Fluid Dynamics solver) for physics setup, solution
calculation, and post-processing.
Hardware: The simulations will be executed on a Lenovo Legion Slim 7 laptop with the
following specifications:
Processor: Intel Core i7-13700H
Installed RAM: 32 GB (configured as 16 GB soldered + 16 GB SO-DIMM, operating in
dual-channel mode)
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
4.3 Pre-Processing
Pre-processing will include defining the physical boundaries, material properties, and
computational mesh of the solar collector system.
4.3.1 Geometry Creation/Import:
The 3D model of the flat-plate solar collector was designed in SolidWorks and will be
imported into ANSYS SpaceClaim as a STEP file.
The model comprised the absorber plate, glass cover, insulation layers, riser and header
tubes and the internal fluid domain (water pipes), minor geometric simplifications, such
as filleting sharp edges will be physically negligible, which will optimize mesh
generation and simulation time while maintaining accuracy.
A key focus is accurately defining the water flow volume to capture internal convection.
Figure 1: 3D CAD model of solar collector assembly Figure 2: 3D CAD model of solar collector assembly
4.3.2 Engineering Data and Material Properties:
Standard materials will be assigned to the respective components, and the fluid (water)
properties will be defined based on typical measured operating temperatures.
Solid components, such as the aluminum absorber plate and glass cover, will be assigned
to their standard thermal and physical properties, as listed in Table 4.1.
Table 1: Engineering Data and Material Properties
Component Material Density Specific Heat Thermal
3
(kg /m ) (kJ /kg .℃) Conductivity
(W /m. ℃)
Fluid Water 998.2 0.4182 0.6
Casing (Frame) Aluminum 2689 0.951 237.5
Glazing Low-Iron 2530 0.800 1.1
(Cover) Tempered Glass
Absorber Plate Aluminum 2689 0.951 237.5
Tubes Copper 8933 0.385 400
Insulation Polyurethane 40 1.450 0.023
Layer Foam
Back Plate Aluminum 2689 0.951 237.5
(Cover)
4.3.3 Meshing Strategy:
An unstructured tetrahedral mesh is proposed for fluid and solid domains.
Mesh refinement techniques, specifically boundary layer inflation layers, will be
implemented at all solid fluid interfaces to accurately capture near-wall velocity and
temperature gradients. A mesh independence study will be conducted during the
execution phase (Graduation Project 2) to determine the optimal element count for
balancing accuracy and computational efficiency.
4.3.4 Physical Setup and Boundary Conditions (Proposed):
The simulation setup in ANSYS Fluent will incorporate a steady-state, pressure-based
solver with Energy Equation enabled, the following models will be utilized:
Turbulence Model: The standard k −ω SST (Shear Stress Transport) turbulence
model was selected to accurately predict the flow behavior within the pipes,
capturing both near wall effects and turbulent core flow.
Radiation Model: The Discrete Ordinates (DO) radiation model with Solar
Ray Tracing will be employed to simulate the incident solar radiation heat flux,
this heat flux will be measured using pyranometer or a value of (850 W/m2)
could be taken which is commonly used in simulations that consider real world,
less than perfect conditions.
Boundary Conditions:
Conditions will include a velocity inlet, flow rate, inlet and outlet temperature or
inlet temperature and pressure outlet, adiabatic side and bottom walls, and a glass
cover that permits radiation absorption and heat loss to the ambient environment.
4.4 Proposed Solution and Analysis Plan
4.4.1 Convergence Criteria:
The solution will be iterated until mass-weighted average temperatures at the outlet reach
stability and all major residuals (momentum, continuity, energy, and radiation) fall below
a defined threshold of 10−5 .
4.4.2 Performance Measures:
The primary metrics for evaluation will be the outlet water temperature and the overall
thermal efficiency of the collector, calculated using data extracted during the post-
processing phase.
4.5 Summary
This chapter has outlined the proposed methodology for the CFD simulation of the solar water
heating system. The defined procedures for geometry creation, meshing, and physics setup
within the ANSYS environment will guide the execution phase in Graduation Project 2, enabling
a robust analysis of the system’s performance.