11 research outputs found
Energy and exergy analyses of a flat plate solar collector using various nanofluids: An analytical approach
Energy and exergy (EnE) efficiencies are considered the most important parameters to compare the performance of various thermal systems. In this paper, an analysis was carried out for EnE efficiencies of a flat plate solar collector (FPSC) using four different kinds of nanofluids as flowing mediums, namely, Al2O3/water, MgO/water, TiO2/water, and CuO/water, and compared with water as a flowing medium (traditional base fluid). The analysis considered nanofluids made of nanomaterialsâ volume fractions of 1â4% with water. The volume flow rates of nanofluids and water were 1 to 4 L/min. The solar collectorâČs highest EnE efficiency values were obtained for CuO/water nanofluid among the four types of nanofluids mentioned above. The EnE efficiencies of the CuO nanofluidâoperated solar collector were 38.21% and 34.06%, respectively, which is significantly higher than that of waterâoperated solar collectors. For the same volume flow rate, the mass flow rate was found to be 15.95% higher than water for the CuO nanofluid. The EnE efficiency of FPSC can also be increased by increasing the density and reducing the specific heat of the flowing medium