Impact Assessment of Binary and Hybrid Nanofluids in Solar Flat-Plate Collector Performance

All living organisms need the energy to survive, and the sun is the ultimate source of energy. Human beings need the energy to survive and produce electricity. The electricity-producing techniques generally used cause pollution to a great extent, and it is the need of the hour to harness renewable resources to produce electricity. The flat-plate solar collector is a type of heat exchanger which is used to harness solar energy, and the energy collected is used for an assortment of purposes. There are various techniques used to augment the performance of this modern marvel. Nanofluid is an amalgamated mixture of a base fluid and a nanoparticle. The application of nanofluids or hybrid nanofluids as heat transfer fluid improves the heat extraction capability of flat-plate solar collectors. This fluid is attracting researchers owing to immense potential in the application in thermal systems due to enhanced thermal conductivity. Hybrid nanofluids are an extension of nanofluids that have a combination of two dissimilar nanoparticles. Two different nanoparticles are dispersed in the base fluids, which exhibit distinct thermal, physical, and chemical properties other than the properties of individual constituents. Individual material may not have all desirable thermal and rheological properties, but prepared nanofluids may have. The paper reviews the latest research articles on the application of binary nanofluids and hybrid nanofluids in the flat-plate solar collector and its thermal performance.