Usual heat transfer fluids with suspended ultra fine particles of nanometer size are named as nanofluids, which have opened a new dimension in heat transfer processes. The recent investigations confirm the potential of nanofluids in enhancing heat transfer required for present age technology. The present investigation goes detailed into investigating the increase of thermal conductivity with temperature for nano fluids with water as base fluid and particles of Al2O3 or CuO as suspension material. A temperature oscillation technique is utilized for the measurement of thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity is calculated from it. The results indicate an increase of enhancement characteristics with temperature, which makes the nanofluids even more attractive for applications with high energy density than usual room temperature measurements reported earlier.
Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can be utilized for different applications in today’s world. The effective use of solar energy requires a storage medium that can facilitate the storage of excess energy, and then supply this stored energy when it is needed. An effective method of storing thermal energy from solar is through the use of phase change materials (PCMs). PCMs are isothermal in nature, and thus offer higher density energy storage and the ability to operate in a variable range of temperature conditions. This article provides a comprehensive review of the application of PCMs for solar energy use and storage such as for solar power generation, water heating systems, solar cookers, and solar dryers. This paper will benefit the researcher in conducting further research on solar power generation, water heating system, solar cookers, and solar dryers using PCMs for commercial development.
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