Experimental investigations for enhancing the performance of hemispherical cavity receivers using additively manufactured heat exchangers

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research explores a pioneering approach in cavity-type solar parabolic dish collector technology (SPDCT) by introducing a novel, additive-manufactured thermally conductive polymer composite heat exchanger over a modified hemispherical cavity receiver for heat recovery applications. This manuscript investigates the performance of innovative configuration of SPDC for Wardha (442001), Maharashtra State (027), INDIA, 20.75° N, 78.65° E, modifying the traditional setup by employing copper coil with different arrangements. The unique aspect of this research lies in the implementation of a hemispherical cavity receiver with preheating water arrangement by installing a thermally conductive polymer composite (TCPC) heat exchanger developed with compositions TPU/MWCNT/GNP of 93/3.5/3.5 by wt.% using an additive manufacturing technique, a strategy not previously explored in the existing literature. A computational study (steady state thermal analysis) conducted using ANSYS Student Version R2023 revealed substantial heat availability over the receiver’s top exterior, forming the basis for the experimental tests. Under different test conditions, the highest thermal efficiency improvement reached to 10.91%. This paper contributes novel ideas to the field, emphasizing the potential of additive-manufactured thermally conductive polymer heat exchangers to increase the performance of solar parabolic dish collector systems.