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Thermo-Hydraulic Performance Analysis of Fe 3 O 4 -Water Nanofluid-Based Flat-Plate Solar Collectors

Author

Listed:
  • Mehak Shafiq

    (School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK)

  • Muhammad Farooq

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Waqas Javed

    (School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK)

  • George Loumakis

    (School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK)

  • Don McGlinchey

    (School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, UK)

Abstract

A cost-effective alternative for lowering carbon emissions from building heating is the use of flat-plate solar collectors (FPSCs). However, low thermal efficiency is a significant barrier to their effective implementation. Favorable nanofluids’ thermophysical properties have the potential to increase FPSCs’ effectiveness. Accordingly, this study evaluates the performance of an FPSC operating with Fe 3 O 4 -water nanofluid in terms of its thermo-hydraulic characteristics with operating parameters ranging from 303 to 333 K for the collector inlet temperature, 0.0167 to 0.05 kg/s for the mass flow rate, and 0.1 to 2% for nanoparticles’ volume fraction, respectively. The numerical findings demonstrated that under identical operating conditions, increasing the volume fraction up to 2% resulted in an improvement of 4.28% and 8.90% in energy and energy efficiency, respectively. However, a 13.51% and 7.93% rise in the friction factor and pressure drop, respectively, have also been observed. As a result, the performance index (PI) criteria were used to determine the optimal volume fraction (0.5%) of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, which enhanced the convective heat transfer, exergy efficiency, and energy efficiency by 12.90%, 4.33%, and 2.64%, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehak Shafiq & Muhammad Farooq & Waqas Javed & George Loumakis & Don McGlinchey, 2023. "Thermo-Hydraulic Performance Analysis of Fe 3 O 4 -Water Nanofluid-Based Flat-Plate Solar Collectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:4704-:d:1089787
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. R. M. Mostafizur & M. G. Rasul & M. N. Nabi, 2021. "Energy and Exergy Analyses of a Flat Plate Solar Collector Using Various Nanofluids: An Analytical Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    2. Hepbasli, Arif, 2008. "A key review on exergetic analysis and assessment of renewable energy resources for a sustainable future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 593-661, April.
    3. Eduardo Rodríguez & José M. Cardemil & Allan R. Starke & Rodrigo Escobar, 2022. "Modelling the Exergy of Solar Radiation: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-26, February.
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