An experimental investigation on thermal efficiency of flat plate tube solar collector using nanofluid with solar tracking mechanism

Abstract EN

In the present work, flat-plate solar collector (FPSC) in terms of various parameters as well as in respect of lower (Area of FPSC, volume fraction concentration of nanofluids, and mass flow rate) has been studied in this work.

The FPSC has been fabricated with 0.192 m2 , Dioxide silicon SiO2 (40nm) with the volume fraction of SiO2+Distilled water (0.05, 0.075, and 0.1%) and varying of flow rate (10, 15, 20L/h).

These technological devices operate under forced circulation mode of fluid under varying climate conditions.

The tracking mechanism has been used in the experiment of FPSC for tracking the sun position during the daytime.

As per the ASHRAE standard.

The results showed that at volume fraction 0.10 % and flow rate of 20 L/h, the highest increase in the absorbed energy parameter FR(τα) was 7.3 %, and the removed energy parameter FRUL was 11.9 % compared with distilled water.

The changes in absorbed energy parameter FR(τα) they vary from 4.4% to 7.3% while in removed energy parameter FRUL, the vary from 1.3% to 11.9% as compared with the distilled water case.

The maximum efficiency was about 70 % as the decreased temperature parameter [(Ti– Ta)/GT] is equal to zero at a volume fraction of 0.10 % and flow rate of 20 L/h.