A Hydrodynamic–Elastic Numerical Case Study of a Solar Collector with a Double Enclosure Filled with Air and Fe3O4/Water Nanofluid

Abstract

This work deals with a numerical investigation of a hydrodynamic–elastic problem within the framework of a double enclosure solar collector technological configuration. The solar collector presents two enclosures separated by an elastic absorber wall. The upper enclosure is filled with air, whereas the lower one is filled with Fe3O4/water nanofluid. The mathematical model governing the thermal and flow behaviors of the considered nanofluid is elaborated. The effects of imposed hot temperatures, the Rayleigh number and air pressure on the nanofluid’s temperature contours, velocity magnitude distribution, temperature evolution, velocity magnitude evolution and Nusselt number evolutions are numerically investigated. The numerical results show and assess how the increase in the Rayleigh number affects convective heat transfer at the expense of the conductive one, as well as how much the Nusselt number and the nanofluid velocity magnitude and temperature are affected in a function of the imposed hot temperature type (uniformly or right-triangular distributed on the elastic absorber wall). Moreover, the results evaluate how increases in the air pressure applied on the elastic absorber wall affects the nanofluid’s temperature distribution.