The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad hosted the public defense of a Master’s thesis by student (Hussein Muwafaq MohammedAli Al-Husseini) from the Department of Energy Engineering.
The thesis is titled:(A Numerical Study and Analysis on a Forced Convection Flat Plate Solar Collector Equipped with Metal Foam Absorber Plate for Industrial Applications)
On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the Petroleum Engineering Department Hall, and under the supervision of
Prof. Dr. Oday Ibrahim Abdullah
Asst. Prof. Dr. Hussein Khalaf Jubair
The thesis aimed to conduct a numerical study and analysis of the thermal performance of a forced-convection flat-plate solar air collector. It investigated the impact of using metal foam as an absorber plate to enhance heat transfer and increase the collector’s thermal efficiency, thereby promoting its potential application in heating and industrial drying processes.
The thesis involved developing a 3D numerical model using ANSYS Fluent 2021 R2 software and examining the effects of various operational and geometric parameters—including air flow rate, air channel height, and metal foam pore density—while employing the Taguchi L9 method to determine optimal operational and design conditions.
Consequently, the thesis concluded with several recommendations, including:
- Adopting metal foam as an absorber plate in solar air collectors due to its effectiveness in enhancing heat transfer and improving thermal efficiency.
- Utilizing the optimal design and operational conditions of the proposed solar collector for air heating and industrial drying applications.
- Conducting future experimental studies to test various types and properties of metal foam under diverse climatic and operational conditions.
Following the scientific discussion by the committee members, the researcher’s defense, and the evaluation of the thesis, Hussein Muwafaq MohammedAli
