4E analysis for the implementation of parabolic trough solar collectors in Mexican dairy industry sector: An optimization approach including passive heat transfer methods

Abstract

This research work strengthens a numerical evaluation of four different types of passive heat transfer methods (nanofluids, flow inserts, selective coating, and receiver geometry modification) in a parabolic trough solar collector array through an energetic, exergetic, environmental, and economic analysis (4E) for the generation of heat for the Mexican dairy industry. For this purpose, eight different scenarios of passive methods were evaluated under four different climatic zones to find the best optimal scenario considering various indicators such as temperature, efficiency, CO2 mitigation potential, and net present value. For each scenario, an annual performance assessment was projected using daily average values. The highest values of fluid temperature, useful heat, thermal efficiency, useful exergy, exergetic efficiency, and amount of CO2 mitigated were 88.50 °C, 81.82 kW, 24.84, 14.28 kW, 4.65 %, and 206.77 tons of CO2, respectively, corresponding to scenario 8 during warm climate. Nevertheless, the maximum net present value was obtained with scenario 7 with a value of 784,286.21 $ USD, while scenario 4 reached the highest internal rate of return of 34.5 % which has indicated that the economic analysis has suggested a different optimum scenario, thus, the current study is relevant for multi-parametric decision-making analysis. In conclusion, the methodology framework of this article can be adapted to other branches of the industrial sector which can yield a performance optimization of solar thermal technology by incorporating different passive heat transfer methods. This can also bring scientific justification to the policymakers for its implementation in the Mexican dairy industry specially to identify the most profitable option for their proliferation in the national market.