Experimental approach on the effect of ZrO2/DW nanofluid on flat plate solar collector thermal and exergy efficiencies

Abstract

Recently, many studies have increasingly dedicated have paid considerable attention to how nanofluids affect the efficiency of renewable energy systems. In this study, the effectiveness of ZrO2–distilled water (DW) nanofluid effectiveness on a solar thermal collector (FPSC) in Hungary, Gödöllő, was studied. First, four different volume fractions of 20 nm ZrO2 nanoparticles (0.025 %, 0.05 %, 0.075 % and 0.1 %) were added to DW-based nanofluids, and the stability and nanofluids characteristics were examined using various measurement instruments. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), were used in the analysis of structural and morphological characteristics. The efficiency of a solar collector powered via nanofluids was then examined at various flow rates: 0.025, 0.033 and 0.041 kg/s. Findings showed that adding nanoparticles improved the FPSC’s efficiency to 72.1 %, and thermal efficiency of the FPSC increased by 26.2 % relative to that of water at 0.1% concentration and 0.041 kg/s flow. The proposed FPSC system in the nanofluid showed greater exergy efficiency than the system in DW, and a considerable in exergy efficiency (∼16.05 %) was observed when the nanoparticle concentration in the working fluid was 0.1 % ZrO2–DW. The system yielded maximum exergy efficiency. This study demonstrated the significant potential of ZrO2 nanoparticles for the application of solar energy.