Due to significant reduction in fossil fuel sources, several researches have been conducted recently to explore modern sources of renewable energy. One of the major fields in the category of renewable energy harnessing devices is parabolic trough solar collector (PTC). Several parameters have effect on the overall efficiency of the PTCs. As the effect of these parameters is coupled to each other, a comprehensive investigation is necessary. In the present study, a numerical analysis is performed to examine the efficiency of PTCs via variation of several governing parameters (e.g., wind velocity magnitude, nanoparticles volume fraction, inlet temperature, and reflector's orientation). A detailed set of absorber, reflector, and protection glass in addition to the surrounding environment is modeled to capture sufficiently accurate data. The working fluid is assumed to be nanofluid to inspect the advantage of metallic nanoparticle addition to the base fluid. The Monte Carlo radiation tracing method is utilized to calculate the solar gain on the absorber tube. According to the obtained results, the efficiencies are reduced by 1–3% by rotating the reflector by 30 deg relative to wind direction. Moreover, 14.3% and 12.4% efficiency enhancement is obtained by addition of 5% volume fraction of Al2O3 to the base synthetic oil for horizontal and rotated reflectors, respectively.
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October 2017
Research-Article
Determination of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Efficiency Using Nanofluid: A Comprehensive Numerical Study
Hamidreza Khakrah,
Hamidreza Khakrah
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
International Campus,
Kish Island 7941776655, Iran
Faculty of Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
International Campus,
Kish Island 7941776655, Iran
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Amir Shamloo,
Amir Shamloo
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
Azadi Avenue,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
e-mail: shamloo@sharif.edu
Sharif University of Technology,
Azadi Avenue,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
e-mail: shamloo@sharif.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Siamak Kazemzadeh Hannani
Siamak Kazemzadeh Hannani
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
Sharif University of Technology,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
Search for other works by this author on:
Hamidreza Khakrah
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
International Campus,
Kish Island 7941776655, Iran
Faculty of Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
International Campus,
Kish Island 7941776655, Iran
Amir Shamloo
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
Azadi Avenue,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
e-mail: shamloo@sharif.edu
Sharif University of Technology,
Azadi Avenue,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
e-mail: shamloo@sharif.edu
Siamak Kazemzadeh Hannani
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Sharif University of Technology,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
Sharif University of Technology,
Tehran 1989956661, Iran
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING: INCLUDING WIND ENERGY AND BUILDING ENERGY CONSERVATION. Manuscript received November 10, 2016; final manuscript received May 3, 2017; published online July 27, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Marc Röger.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. Oct 2017, 139(5): 051006 (11 pages)
Published Online: July 27, 2017
Article history
Received:
November 10, 2016
Revised:
May 3, 2017
Citation
Khakrah, H., Shamloo, A., and Kazemzadeh Hannani, S. (July 27, 2017). "Determination of Parabolic Trough Solar Collector Efficiency Using Nanofluid: A Comprehensive Numerical Study." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. October 2017; 139(5): 051006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037092
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