Numerical Investigation of Nanofluids for Solar Parabolic Trough Collectors

Solar Energy is considered as a promising alternative to conventional and non renewable energy sources. Solar Parabolic Trough Collectors (SPTC) offer a convenient and economical mode of energy production. Usage of working fluid with good heat transfer capabilities will increase the efficiency of the SPTC. Addition of nano sized particles can enhance the performance of heat transfer fluid. The current study focuses on thermal enhancement and thermodynamic analysis of dispersing \(Al_2O_3\) , \(SiO_2\) , Ag and Cu nanoparticles in Heat Transfer Fluid. Syltherm 800 was selected as the base fluid for its high thermal stability and compatibility with different nanoparticles. Analysis is carried out with different volumetric concentrations ranging from 1% to 5% to find the nanofluid having superior performance. In this study, Monte Carlo Ray Tracing is used for optical simulation and Ansys Fluent is used for the CFD. The addition of nanoparticles enhances heat transfer, however, frictional losses also increases resulting in an increase in pressure drop hence pumping power. 5% \(Al_2O_3\) demonstrated 26.3% heat transfer coefficient enhancement with minimum entropy generation at 300 K inlet temperature with a Reynolds Number of 35,000. Similarly, an optimum value can be determined for each nanofluid.