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Optimizing the heating performance of Trombe walls with ribbed surfaces using three-dimensional CFD analysis
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  • Published: 06 April 2026

Optimizing the heating performance of Trombe walls with ribbed surfaces using three-dimensional CFD analysis

  • Jamal-Eddine Salhi1,2,
  • Tarik Zarrouk3,
  • Supriya Jain4,
  • Mohamed Barboucha3,
  • Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui4,5,6,
  • Shahid Parvez4,5,6 &
  • …
  • Geleta Afessa Moreda4,5,6 

Scientific Reports (2026) Cite this article

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Subjects

  • Energy science and technology
  • Engineering
  • Mathematics and computing
  • Physics

Abstract

Improving the thermal efficiency of Trombe walls is crucial for optimizing passive solar heating systems. Despite extensive research, the effect of ribbed surfaces on the thermo-hydrodynamic behavior has not been fully explored. This study aims to address this gap by performing a three-dimensional CFD analysis to investigate the combined effects of rib density (Nr = 3, 5, 7, 9) and rib geometry (rectangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, triangular, and semi-circular) on heat transfer and fluid dynamics within Trombe walls. The simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent (2020 R1) under laminar flow conditions (Re = 600–1600), with boundary conditions including a constant solar flux of 748 W/m2, an ambient temperature of 293.75 K, and an external wind speed of 1 m/s. The model was validated against experimental data correlations for the Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f), with deviations of less than 6%. The results show that ribbing significantly enhances heat transfer by disturbing the boundary layer and promoting vortex formation. The optimal configuration (Nr = 5) increases the Nusselt number by 68.3% at Re = 1600 (from 12.41 to 20.88). Triangular ribs provide the highest thermal enhancement, nearly doubling Nu (a 99.4% increase, from 12.41 to 24.75), but incur significant friction penalties, with f rising by 169.4% (from 0.0489 to 0.1317). In contrast, semi-circular ribs strike a balance, yielding a thermal enhancement factor (TEF) of 1.51 (+ 50.6%) and increasing heat flux by 12.7%. These findings demonstrate that Nr = 5 with the appropriate rib geometry can optimize Trombe wall efficiency, making it suitable for nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEBs).

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

L:

Length of the Trombe wall (mm)

H:

Height of the Trombe wall (mm)

W:

Width of the Trombe wall (mm)

L1, L2, L3, L4 :

Characteristic lengths of the studied configurations (mm)

h1, h2:

Heights of the inlet and outlet openings (mm)

e1, e2, e3 :

Thicknesses of different layers (mm)

Nr:

Number of internal ribs

Re:

Reynolds number (-)

f:

Friction factor (-)

Po:

Poiseuille number (-)

j:

Colburn factor (-)

ν:

Kinematic viscosity (m2/s)

ρ:

Density of air (kg/m 3 )

u, v, w:

Velocitys component

P:

Pressure (Pa)

µ:

Dynamic viscosity (Pa.s)

Nu:

Nusselt number (-)

η:

Thermal enhancement factor (-)

Q:

Heat flux (W)

T:

Temperature (K)

k:

Thermal conductivity (W/m.K)

Cp:

Specific heat capacity (J/kg.K)

Pr:

Prandtl number (-)

α:

Thermal diffusivity

ΔP:

Pressure drop (Pa)

h:

Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2.K)

Re:

Reynolds number

Nu:

Nusselt number

Pr:

Prandtl number

Po:

Poiseuille number

j:

Colburn factor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pure and Applied Mathematics, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Jamal-Eddine Salhi

  2. Laboratory of Energetics (LE), Faculty of Sciences, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, 93000, Tetouan, Morocco

    Jamal-Eddine Salhi

  3. CREHEIO (Centre de Recherche de l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes d’Ingénierie), 60000, Oujda, Morocco

    Tarik Zarrouk & Mohamed Barboucha

  4. Institute of Business Management, GLA University, Mathura, 281406, India

    Supriya Jain, Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Shahid Parvez & Geleta Afessa Moreda

  5. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, 12372, Saudi Arabia

    Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Shahid Parvez & Geleta Afessa Moreda

  6. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dambi Dollo University, Dambi Dollo, Ethiopia

    Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui, Shahid Parvez & Geleta Afessa Moreda

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Contributions

**Jamal-Eddine Salhi** : Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Conceptualization, Methodology**Tarik Zarrouk: ** Writing - review & editing, supervision, Resources, Fund Acquisition**Supriya Jain** : Writing - review & editing, Supervision**Mohamed Barboucha** : Investigation, Methodology, Writing - review & editing.**Md Irfanul Haque Siddiqui** : Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing - review & editing, supervision.**Shahid Parvez** : Visualization, Writing - review & editing**Geleta Afessa Moreda** : Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – review, Visualisation & editing.

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Correspondence to Geleta Afessa Moreda.

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Salhi, JE., Zarrouk, T., Jain, S. et al. Optimizing the heating performance of Trombe walls with ribbed surfaces using three-dimensional CFD analysis. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47339-3

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  • Received: 09 October 2025

  • Accepted: 31 March 2026

  • Published: 06 April 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47339-3

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Keywords

  • Trombe wall
  • Passive solar heating
  • Heat transfer enhancement
  • Rib geometry
  • Thermal performance
  • Friction factor
  • Nusselt number
  • Poiseuille number
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