Nanotechnology Applications for Solar Energy Systems

11 Nanofluids in Flat Plate Solar Collectors

L. Syam Sundar¹ and Zafar Said^2,3,4,*

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al-khobar, Saudi Arabia² Department of Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates³ US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan⁴ Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese American University (LAU), Byblos, Lebanon^* Corresponding author

11.1 Nanofluid in Flat Plate Collector

Water (W), ethylene glycol (EG), and heat transfer oil are common fluids used in many industries such as power generation, heating or cooling, chemical processes, and microelectronics. However, due to their lesser thermal conductivity, these fluids can’t achieve larger heat exchange rates in thermal engineering devices. To solve this problem, ultrafine solid nanoparticles diluted in the base liquids can be used to enhance thermal conductivity. A nanofluid is a suspension of nanosized particles (1–100 nm) in a conventional base fluid. Choi [1] developed a fluid called a nanofluid. The nanofluids outperform suspensions with millimeter or micrometer-sized particles in terms of stability, rheological properties, and thermal conductivities.

In their review of the general uses of nanofluids, Saidur et al. [2] examined their use in a variety of industries, including ...