scholarly journals Energy and Exergy Analysis of Using Turbulator in a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Filled with Mesoporous Silica Modified with Copper Nanoparticles Hybrid Nanofluid

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Rostami ◽  
Amin Shahsavar ◽  
Gholamreza Kefayati ◽  
Aysan Shahsavar Goldanlou

Designing the most efficient parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) is still a demanding and challenging research area in solar energy systems. Two effective recommended methods for this purpose that increase the thermal characteristics of PTSCs are adding turbulators and nanofluids. To study the effects of the two approaches on the energy efficiency of PTSCs, a stainless steel turbulator was used and solid nanoparticles of Cu/SBA-15 were added to the water with the volume concentrations of 0.019% to 0.075%. The generated turbulence in the fluid flow was modeled by the SST k–ω turbulent model. The results in daylight demonstrated that energy efficiency increases steadily by 11:30 a.m., and then, starts to drop gradually due to more irradiations at noon. It was observed that applying the turbulator to the studied PTSC has a significant influence on the enhancement of energy efficiency. Adding the nanoparticles augmented the average Nusselt number inside the solar collector in various studied Reynolds numbers. It was also found that the increase in volume concentrations of nanoparticles enhances heat transfer regularly.

Author(s):  
Mohamed Gadalla ◽  
Amani Al Hammadi

Renewable energy resource is considered by many developed and developing countries as a promising and a cost effective candidate to provide energy. The operation of cooling systems in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have some operating problems especially in summer such as severe grid dependent, excessive energy consumption, high emissions and high costs. So, more economically and environmentally friendly HVAC systems are desired to provide the required electricity demands for cooling loads while saving energy and having low emissions to the environment. In this paper, a parabolic trough solar collector is integrated with a triple effect absorption cooling system for sustainable development. A computer code is developed using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software to obtain all required thermodynamic properties of water-lithium bromide (H2O/LiBr) solution and to optimize all operating parameters and carry out all detailed energy and exergy analyses for a 10 kW cooling capacity. In addition, the parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) is also designed for the required cooling load and its overall dynamic behavior is also investigated. The solar irradiance available in the UAE on a monthly basis is used in the analysis of a PTSC-based HVAC cooling system. Energetic and exergetic efficiencies of the PTSC for every month are also evaluated under different operating conditions. The Overall monthly energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated PTSC-based HVAC system for a constant mass flow rate of Therminol-66 and concentration ratio are calculated. The dynamic variation of the coefficient of performance of the integrated system with the solar irradiance and mass flow rate of the oil are also evaluated. Results show that both energetic and exergetic COPs are decreased with increasing the solar irradiance for a constant mass flow rate of oil and constant concentration ratio. It is found that increasing the mass flow rate of the oil from 0.1 to 0.5 kg/s results in decreasing the energetic COP from 2.15 to 1.98 and the exergetic COP from 2.05 to 1.93.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Akbar Abbasian Arani ◽  
Ali Memarzadeh

Purpose Present investigation conducts a study on the hydrothermal features of a double flow Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTSC) equipped with sinusoidal-wavy grooved absorber tube and twisted tape insert filled with nanofluid. This paper aims to present an effectual PTSC which is comprised by nanofluid numerically by means of finite volume method. Design/methodology/approach The beneficial results such as pressure drop inside the absorber tube, mean predicted friction factor, predicted average Nusselt number and hydrothermal Performance Evaluation Criteria (PEC) are evaluated and reported to present the influences of numerous factors on studied interest outcomes. Effects of different Reynolds numbers and environmental conditions are also determined in this investigation. Findings It is found that using the absorber roof (canopy) can enhance the heat transfer ratio of PTSCs significantly during all studied Reynolds numbers. Also, it is realized that the combination of inner grooved surface, outer corrugated surface and inserting turbulator can improve the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of PTSCs sharply. Originality/value Novel PTSC (N.PTSC) filling with two Heat Transfer Fluids (HTFs), inner and outer surface corrugated absorber tube, absorber roof and inserting twisted tape (N.PTSC.f) has the highest PEC values among all novel configurations along all investigated Reynolds numbers which is followed by configurations N.PTSC with two HTFs and inserting twisted tape (N.PTSC.e), N.PTSC with two HTFs and outer surface corrugated absorber tube (N.PTSC.b) and N.PTSC with two HTFs and inner surface corrugated absorber tube (N.PTSC.c), respectively. N.PTSC.f Nusselt number values can overcome the high values of friction factor, and therefore is introduced as the most efficient model in the current study.


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