| Summary: | The thermal efficiency of conventional solar air heaters could be significantly improved by making some design configurations. In this study, a solar chimney air heater was employed and the effect of glazing, fins and convection (natural/forced) on the thermal efficiency of the heater was investigated. It was found that the incorporation of glazing and fins improved the performance of the heater. Further, the heater showed improved efficiency when operated under forced convection mode. Among the designs, the forced induced glazed solar chimney air heater with fins displayed the highest average thermal efficiency of 16.50%. Keywords: Solar chimney air heater, Heater efficiency, Forced convection, Glazing, Fins
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