Study of the Temperature Distribution in a Parabolic Cylindrical Concentratorusing a Nanofluid as Heat Transfer Fluid

Abstract

We have numerically studied the heat transfers in a Cylindrical-parabolic concentrator using a nanofluid as heat transfer fluid for its use in Solar Thermodynamics. After an analysis of the work relating to solar concentrators and nanofluids, we have, after having described our physical system and posed working hypotheses, written the equations which govern the transfers in our collector. The latter as well as the associated boundary conditions were then dimensionless in order to generalize the problem and reveal the parameters that control the operation of the absorber. To solve our equations, we used the method of finite differences and the algebraic system obtained is solved thanks to the Thomas method combined with an iterative process of line-by-line relaxation type. The computer code that we developed made it possible to find the temperature distributions according to the spatial coordinates and at different times. The effects and influences of wind effect, axial and transverse thermal dispersion, absorber length, geometric shape factor on the average temperature distributions of the coolant is analyzed. At the end of the study, we were able to identify the most important physical and geometric parameters which give our system optimum operation for its use in Solar Thermodynamics.