This paper discusses the synthesis and characterization of a novel hybrid nanofluid and its performance analysis on a parabolic trough direct absorption solar collector. Broadening the absorption spectra of working fluid using nanoparticles is the new research revolution for increasing the volumetric solar absorption efficiency. It is reported that plasmonic silver nanoparticles have higher absorption in visible spectra while antimony doped tin oxide has an absorption peak in the near-infrared region. Hence, antimony tin oxide/silver hybrid nanoparticle with broad spectral absorptivity was synthesized. Optimization of the nanofluid composition performed using response surface methodology yielded an optimized mass fraction of antimony tin oxide and surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, as 0.1% each. The solar weighted absorption fraction of optimized nanofluid was obtained as 90.12%. Performance evaluation of the solar collector was based on ASHRAE standards 93-2010. The optical efficiency of the parabolic collector was calculated to be 75%. The maximum thermal efficiency obtained by the optimized nanofluid applied parabolic trough direct absorption solar collector was 63.5% at a flow rate of 0.022 kgs-1 and the highest exergy efficiency obtained was 5.6%. Thermal and exergy efficiency was observed to increase with increase in flow rate.
Augmenting thermal and optical properties of working fluids used in solar thermal conversion systems using hybrid nanomaterials is gaining prominence. In the present study photo-thermal analysis and thermal conductivity investigations were performed on SiO2/Ag-CuO binary water based nanofluid. The influence of particle concentration and surfactant concentration on thermo-optical properties were investigated using the design of experiment concept. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to study the significance of the process parameters on thermal conductivity and solar weighted absorption fraction of nanofluid. The statistical optimisation of the process parameters was done using the desirability function. The optimum combination of nanoparticles and surfactant that yield good thermal conductivity and solar absorption was found to be SiO2/Ag: 206.3 mg/litre, CuO: 864.7 mg/litre, and SDS (surfactant): 1996.2 mg/litre. The optimum mass fraction of constituents yielded a relative thermal conductivity of 1.234 and solar weighted absorption fraction of 82.82 %.
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