Comparative Thermal Performance of a Parabolic Trough Receiver With Cu-Therminol®VP-1, Ag-Therminol®VP-1 and Al2O3-Therminol®VP-1 Nanofluids

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aggrey Mwesigye ◽  
Zhongjie Huan ◽  
Josua P. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Base Fluid ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Flux Boundary Condition

As parabolic trough systems with high concentration ratios become feasible, convective heat transfer enhancement is expected to play a significant role in improving the thermal and thermodynamic performance of these systems. In this paper, the thermal performances of a high concentration ratio system using three different types of nanofluids were investigated. A system with a geometric concentration ratio of 113 and a rim angle of 80° was used in this study. The nanofluids considered were copper-Therminol®VP-1, silver-Therminol®VP-1 and Al2O3-Therminol®VP-1 nanofluid. For each nanofluid, the volume fraction of the nanoparticles in the base fluid was varied from 0–6%. The numerical solution was obtained using a finite volume based computational fluid dynamics tool. Temperature dependent properties were used for both the base fluid and the nanoparticles. An actual receiver heat flux boundary condition obtained using Monte Carlo ray tracing was coupled to the computational fluid dynamics code to model the thermal performance of the receiver. Results show that for each nanofluid used, the thermal performance of the receiver improves significantly. The thermal efficiency increases by about 12.5%, 13.9% and 7.2% for the copper-Therminol®VP-1, silver-Therminol®VP-1 and Al2O3-Therminol®VP-1 nanofluids, respectively as the volume fraction increases from 0 to 6%. The thermal efficiency improvement with silver-Therminol®VP-1 was the highest of the considered nanofluids owing to the relatively higher thermal conductivity of silver.

Experimental Study on Thermal Efficiency of Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) Using Al2O3/H2O Nanofluid

2015 ◽  
Vol 787 ◽  
pp. 192-196
Author(s):  
E. Siva Reddy ◽  
R. Meenakshi Reddy ◽  
K. Krishna Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Base Fluid ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Nano Particles ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector

Dispersing small amounts of solid nano particles into base-fluid has a significant impact on the thermo-physical properties of the base-fluid. These properties are utilized for effective capture and transportation of solar energy. This paper attempts key idea for harvesting solar energy by using alumina nanofluid in concentrating parabolic trough collectors. An experimental study is carried out to investigate the performance of a parabolic trough collector using Al2O3-H2O based nanofluid. Results clearly indicate that at same ambient, inlet temperatures, flow rate, concentration ratio etc. hike in thermal efficiency is around 5-10 % compared to the conventional Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC). Further, the effect of various parameters such as concentration ratio, receiver length, fluid velocity, volume fraction of nano particles has been studied. The different flow rates employed in the experiment are 2 ml/s, 4 ml/s and 6 ml/s. Volumetric concentration of 0.02%, 0.04% and 0.06% has been studied in the experiment. Surfactants are not introduced to avoid bubble formation. Tracking mode of parabolic trough collector is manual. Results also reveal that Al2O3-H2O based nanofluid has higher efficiency at higher flow rates.

Thermal Performance of a Receiver Tube for a High Concentration Ratio Parabolic Trough System and Potential for Improved Performance With Syltherm800-CuO Nanofluid

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aggrey Mwesigye ◽  
Zhongjie Huan ◽  
Josua P. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Fluid Temperature ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Flow Rates

In this paper, the thermal performance of a high concentration ratio parabolic trough system and the potential for improved thermal performance using Syltherm800-CuO nanofluid were investigated and presented. The parabolic trough system considered in this study has a concentration ratio of 113 compared with 82 in current commercial systems. The heat transfer fluid temperature was varied between 350 K and 650 K and volume fractions of nanoparticle were in the range 1–6%. Monte-Carlo ray tracing was used to obtain the actual heat flux on the receiver’s absorber tube. The obtained heat flux profiles were subsequently coupled with a computational fluid dynamics tool to investigate the thermal performance of the receiver. From the study, the results show that with increased concentration ratios, receiver thermal performance degrades, with both the receiver heat loss and the absorber tube circumferential temperature differences increasing, especially at low flow rates. The results further show that the use of nanofluids significantly improves receiver thermal performance. The heat transfer performance increases up to 38% while the thermal efficiency increases up to 15%. Significant improvements in receiver thermal efficiency exist at high inlet temperatures and low flow rates.

scholarly journals Analysing the Material Suitability and Concentration Ratio of a Solar-Powered Parabolic trough Collector (PTC) Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 5479
Author(s):  
Mohammad Akrami ◽  
Husain Alsari ◽  
Akbar A. Javadi ◽  
Mahdieh Dibaj ◽  
Raziyeh Farmani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Parabolic Trough Collector ◽  
Maximum Production ◽  
Solar Powered ◽  
Maximum Production Rate

Solar-powered desalination is a sustainable solution for countries experiencing water scarcity. Several studies have presented different solutions to provide cleaner production in desalination systems. Parabolic trough collector (PTC) is one of these solutions that has proven to be superior among solar concentrators. Furthermore, a number of studies have investigated the use of PTC for distillation of saline water in response to water scarcity. In this study, a modified PTC model was developed, in which the heat exchanger was replaced by a condensation tube to reduce the energy consumption, and a black layer was introduced to the surface of the receiver to enhance its absorptance. As a reference case, the system productivity according to average solar intensities in Zagazig, located at 30°34′N 31°30′E in the North East of Egypt, is estimated. The results indicated that the maximum production rate that can be attained is 1.72 kg/h. Then, the structure of the system is evaluated with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling, in order to enhance its productivity. Many materials are examined and the results recognised copper as the most suitable material amongst marine grade metals (i.e., aluminium, galvanised steel and stainless steel) to construct the receiver tube. This is due to its superior thermal performance, satisfactory corrosion resistance, and acceptable cost. Afterwards, the selected receiver tube was employed to identify the optimal Concentration Ratio (CR). Consequently, a CR of 90.56 was determined to be the optimum value for Zagazig and regions with similar solar radiation. As a result, the system’s productivity was enhanced drastically, as it was estimated that a maximum production rate of 6.93 kg/h can be achieved.

Heat Transfer Performance of a Parabolic Trough Receiver Using SWCNTs-Therminol®VP-1 Nanofluids

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aggrey Mwesigye ◽  
Josua P. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Concentration Ratio ◽  
Heat Transfer Performance ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Transfer Performance ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Flow Rates

In this paper, the potential for improved thermal performance of a high concentration ratio parabolic trough solar energy system working with high thermal conductivity single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and Therminol®VP-1 nanofluid is numerically investigated. In the numerical analysis, the practical heat flux profiles expected for parabolic trough receivers were obtained using Monte-Carlo ray tracing and coupled with a computational fluid dynamics tool using user defined functions to investigate the thermal performance of the parabolic trough solar energy system. A parabolic trough system with a concentration ratio of 113 was considered in this study and heat transfer fluid inlet temperatures between 400 K and 650 K were used. The volume fraction of SWCNTs in the base fluid was in the range 0% to 2.5% and the flow rates used were in the range 0.82 to 69.41 m3/h. Results show improvements in the convective heat transfer performance and receiver thermal efficiency as well as a considerable reduction of the receiver thermal losses with increasing volume fractions. The heat transfer performance increases up to 64% while the thermal efficiency increases by about 4.4%. Higher increments are observed at low flow rates and inlet temperatures. The receiver thermodynamic performance also increases significantly with the use of nanofluids. Entropy generation rates reduce by about 30% for the range of parameters considered.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Active Heat Sinks Design under Forced Convection—Effect of Geometric and Boundary Parameters

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2041
Author(s):  
Eva C. Silva ◽  
Álvaro M. Sampaio ◽  
António J. Pontes
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Forced Convection ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Trapezoidal Shape ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

This study shows the performance of heat sinks (HS) with different designs under forced convection, varying geometric and boundary parameters, via computational fluid dynamics simulations. Initially, a complete and detailed analysis of the thermal performance of various conventional HS designs was taken. Afterwards, HS designs were modified following some additive manufacturing approaches. The HS performance was compared by measuring their temperatures and pressure drop after 15 s. Smaller diameters/thicknesses and larger fins/pins spacing provided better results. For fins HS, the use of radial fins, with an inverted trapezoidal shape and with larger holes was advantageous. Regarding pins HS, the best option contemplated circular pins in combination with frontal holes in their structure. Additionally, lattice HS, only possible to be produced by additive manufacturing, was also studied. Lower temperatures were obtained with a hexagon unit cell. Lastly, a comparison between the best HS in each category showed a lower thermal resistance for lattice HS. Despite the increase of at least 38% in pressure drop, a consequence of its frontal area, the temperature was 26% and 56% lower when compared to conventional pins and fins HS, respectively, and 9% and 28% lower when compared to the best pins and best fins of this study.

Time-to-Market: A Practical CFD Application in the Telecom Industry

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward R. Champion
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Cable Modem ◽  
Time To Market ◽  
Direct Production ◽  
Performance Verification ◽  
Telecom Industry

This paper summarizes the practical use of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) using a commercially available package, FLOTHERM [1], in a tight and highly competitive marketplace to produce a functional pre-production piece of telecom gear with no prototyping for thermal issues. The paper highlights the direct production, noprototype, analytical thermal performance verification of a small CMTS (Cable Modem Termination System) used in telecom applications.

Investigation on thermal efficiency of LPG cooking burner using computational fluid dynamics

Energy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 117849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mana Wichangarm ◽  
Anirut Matthujak ◽  
Thanarath Sriveerakul ◽  
Sedthawatt Sucharitpwatskul ◽  
Sutthisak Phongthanapanich
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Thermal Efficiency

Computational fluid dynamics for thermal performance of a water-cooled minichannel heat sink with different chip arrangements

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 797-810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gongnan Xie ◽  
Shian Li ◽  
Bengt Sunden ◽  
Weihong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Electronic Devices ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Bottom Surface ◽  
Moderate Pressure ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – With the development of electronic devices, including the desires of integration, miniaturization, high performance and the output power, cooling requirement of chips have been increased gradually. Water-cooled minichannel is an effective cooling technology for cooling of heat sinks. The minichannel flow geometry offers large surface area for heat transfer and a high convective heat transfer coefficient with only a moderate pressure loss. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a minichannel heat sink having the bottom size of 35 mm×35 mm numerically. Two kinds of chip arrangement are investigated: diagonal arrangement and parallel arrangement. Design/methodology/approach – Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique is used to investigate the flow and thermal fields in forced convection in a three-dimensional minichannels heat sink with different chip arrangements. The standard k-e turbulence model is applied for the turbulence simulations on the minichannel heat sink. Findings – The results show that the bottom surface of the heat sink with various chip arrangements will have different temperature distribution and thermal resistance. A suitable chip arrangement will achieve a good cooling performance for electronic devices. Research limitations/implications – The fluid is incompressible and the thermophysical properties are constant. Practical implications – New and additional data will be helpful as guidelines in the design of heat sinks to achieve a good thermal performance and a long lifetime in operation. Originality/value – In real engineering situations, chips are always placed in various manners according to design conditions and constraints. In this case the assumption of uniform heat flux is acceptable for the surfaces of the chips rather than for the entire bottom surface of the heat sink.

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