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Because of its increased absorptance in fluid and reduced heat loss, direct absorption nanofluid (DANF) is receiving intense interest as an efficient way to harvest solar energy. This work aims to investigate, for the first time, the application of DANF in parabolic trough collectors (PTC), a promising collector for solar thermal systems.

A representative flow and heat transfer study of different fluids in a straight tube is conducted, and the basic energy equation and radiative transfer equations are numerically solved to obtain the fluid temperature distribution and energy conversion efficiency. Ethylene glycol (EG) and different concentrations of (i.e., 0.1-0.6 per cent) multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in EG are used as sample fluids. Four cases are studied for a traditional PTC (i.e., using metal tube) and a direct absorption PTC (i.e., using transparent tube) including a bare tube, a tube with an air-filled glass envelope and a tube with vacuumed glass envelop. The numerical results are verified by an experimental study using a copper-glass absorber tube, which reveals the good potential of DANFs.

Compared with a conventional PTC, using DANF shows an increase of 8.6 per cent and 6.5 K, respectively, in thermal efficiency and outlet temperature difference at a volume fraction (0.5 per cent) of nanoparticles. The results also show that the improvement in solar efficiency increases with increasing particle concentrations, and the vacuum insulated case has the highest efficiency.

In all previous studies, an important section was missing as the effect of photons on the direct solar absorption trough collector, which is considered in this study. This paper proposes a new concept of using direct solar absorption nanofluids for concentrated solar collectors and analyzes the performance of both absorptance and transmittance efficiency considerations. To reveal the potential of the new concept, an analytical model based on energy balance is developed, and two case studies are performed.

Over the recent years, solar energy has received outstanding attention from researchers. Solar energy applications and related large-scale projects are increasing to meet growing global energy demand as an economical, non-polluting and renewable energy source. The purpose of this study is investigating different plenum and absorber configurations of solar air heating wall (SAHW) experimentally and numerically.

In this study, various configurations of SAHW have been numerically simulated to determine the most effective design. According to the simulation results, two SAHWs with various plenum thicknesses have been fabricated and tested at different conditions.

Numerical simulation results indicated that parallel-flow SAHWs exhibited better performance in comparison with other placements of absorber plate. Regarding to the experimentally attained results, the highest thermal efficiency was reached to 80.51%. Also, the average deviation between experimentally and numerically obtained outlet temperature is 5.5%.

Considering the obtained results in the present study, designed SAHW has admissible efficiency to be used in various industrial and residential applications such as; air preheating, space heating and drying.

In this study, the effects of using corrugated absorber plate (instead of flat plate) and also using aerosol/carbon-black nanofluid (instead of air) on heat transfer and turbulent flow characteristics in solar collectors were numerically investigated.

The 3D continuity, momentum and energy equation were solved by finite volume and SIMPLE algorithm. As a result, the corrugated absorber plate was inspected in the case of triangle, rectangle and sinuous with the wave length of 1 mm and wave amplitude of 3 mm in turbulent flow regime and Reynolds number between 2,500 and 4,000. Choosing the proper geometry was carried out based on the best performance evaluation criteria (PEC) and increasing the air temperature from collector inlet to outlet.

The results revealed that for all times of the year the highest PEC was obtained for corrugated Sinusoidal model; however, the highest temperature increase from inlet to outlet was obtained for rectangular corrugated model. In addition, the results indicated that in sinusoidal model, the nanoparticles volume fractions increase leads to heat performance coefficient increase and the best heat performance conditions were attained in volume fraction of 0.1 per cent and Reynolds number of 4,000 for both six months period. In model with rectangular corrugated plate, usage of nanofluid in all range of Reynolds numbers leads to reduction of outlet temperature.

The effect of some nanoparticles on heat transfer using thermal– hydraulic performances in heat exchangers has been assessed, but the effects of atmospheric aerosol-based nanofluid using carbon-black nanoparticles (CBNPs) on the heat transfer in corrugated heat sink solar collectors by 3D numerical modeling has not been yet investigated. In present study, usage of CBNPs with different volume fractions in range of 0 to 0.1 per cent in turbulent regime of fluid flow is analyzed. Furthermore, in this paper, besides the effects of using CBNPs, a solar absorber located in Shiraz, as one of the best solar irradiation receiver cities in Iran is evaluated.

Volumetric air receivers experience high thermal stress as a consequence of the intense radiation flux they are exposed to when used for heat and/or power generation. This study aims to propose a proper design that is required for the absorber and its holder to ensure efficient heat transfer between the fluid and solid phases and to avoid system failure due to thermal stress.

The design and modeling processes are applied to both the absorber and its holder. A multi-channel explicit geometry design and a discrete model is applied to the absorber to investigate the conjugate heat transfer and thermo-mechanical stress levels present in the steady-state condition. The discrete model is used to calibrate the initial state of the continuum model that is then used to investigate the transient operating states representing cloud-passing events.

The steady-state results constitute promising findings for operating the system at the desired airflow temperature of 700°C. In addition, we identified regions with high temperatures and high-stress values. Furthermore, the transient state model is capable of capturing the heat transfer and fluid dynamics phenomena, allowing the boundaries to be checked under normal operating conditions.

Thermal stress analysis of the absorber and the steady/transient-state thermal analysis of the absorber/holder were conducted. Steady-state heat transfer in the explicit model was used to calibrate the initial steady-state of the continuum model.

This study aims to investigate the effect of porous material (clay pots) and it is facing on the productivity performance of a pyramid type solar still. The clay pots are placed in the basin facing up and facing down. The numbers of clay pots considered were 9 and 25, and its performance was compared with normal (0 clay pots) solar still.

The pyramid solar water distillation system has been designed, fabricated and tested under the actual environmental conditions of Kanchikacherla (16.6834 ⁰N, 80.3904 ⁰E), Andhra Pradesh, India. The solar still is used to produce the fresh water and hot water simultaneously from the brackish (i.e. containing dissolved salts) feed water for domestic applications. From open literature, it was established that the rate of evaporation is higher when the flowing water is held for a longer duration on the black color absorber plate, thereby leading to an increase in productivity of freshwater. Therefore, the pyramid solar still has been tested for smooth absorber plate and the absorber plate with porous heat storage material.

The porous material increases the production rate of freshwater compared to a base plate. However, the pyramid still with clay pots has higher productivity at a lower temperature because of the porosity effect.

The total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and pH of the distilled water and the saline water have also been measured and compared.

This work aimed to prepare black transition metal oxide pigments to be used as solar absorbers in the solar selective and other industrial paints.

Mixed metal oxide CoCuMnO_x spinel pigments were synthesised via the sol‐gel route. These oxides, namely (I‐Co_0.50Cu_0.25Mn_0.25)O_x, (II‐Co_0.25Cu_0.50Mn_0.25)O_x and (III‐Co_0.25Cu_0.25Mn_0.50)O_x, were prepared with different molar ratios and annealed at 600, 800 and 900°C, respectively. The prepared oxides were characterised by infrared spectrometer (IS), differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The prepared pigments have a spinel structure with the composition CoCuMnO_x. All synthesised pigments consisted of nano particles ranged from 10 to 80 nm. The optical properties showed high absorption and moderately low reflectance in the solar wavelength range.

The prepared samples, used in the present work, were synthesized from cobalt sulphate, copper chloride and manganese chloride. The salts were dispersed in polyacrylamide as a precursor.

The prepared samples were thermally stable and had good optical properties. They could be used as absorber materials in the painting of solar collectors.

These thermally stable mixed metal oxides could be used in the painting of solar collectors. The three mixed metal oxides could be used as absorber materials for heating solar collectors due to their high absorption and moderately low reflectance in the solar wavelength range.

Solar selective coatings are designed and formulated for effective collection and retention of solar energy. Several types of coatings can be utilized for economical collection of solar energy, the most common and simplest will be ordinary non‐glass, heat resistant black paint. The coatings may be moderately selective or non‐selective absorbers, consisting of organic or inorganic matt black paints. These are easiest to apply and the least expensive of all collector coatings. In this category other types are ceramic and organic enamels and chemical or electrochemical metal conversion coatings. An impending energy crisis has already aroused interest and scientific pursuit in the field. An analysis of the state‐of‐the‐art in solar selective coatings was felt necessary at this time.

During the past several years, research and studies in the field of solar energy have been continuously increased. One of the substantial applications of solar energy is related to industrial utilization for the drying process by efficient heat transfer methods. This study aims to upgrade the overall performance of an indirect solar dryer using a solar absorber extension tube (SET) equipped with ball-type turbulators.

In this work, three various SETs including hollow (SET Type 1), 6-balls (SET Type 2) and 10-balls (SET Type 3), have been simulated using Fluent software to evaluate heat transfer characteristics and flow structure along the air passage. Then, the modified solar drying system has been manufactured and tested at different configurations.

The findings indicated that adding a SET improved the performance notably. According to the results, using turbulators in the tube has a positive effect on heat transfer. The highest overall thermal efficiency was found in the range of 51.47%–64.71% for the system with SET Type 3. The maximum efficiency increment of the system was found as 19% with the use of SET. Also, the average specific moisture extraction rate, which is a significant factor to survey the effectiveness of the dehumidification system was found between 0.20 and 0.38 kg kWh⁻¹.

In the present study, a novel SET has been developed to upgrade the performance of the solar dehumidifier. This new approach makes it possible to improve both thermal and drying performances.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a cylindrical flow insert for a parabolic trough solar collector. Centrally placed and eccentric placed inserts are investigated in a systematic way to determine which configuration leads to the maximum thermal enhancement.

The analysis is performed in SolidWorks Flow Simulation with a validated computational fluid dynamics model. Moreover, the useful heat production and the pumping work demand increase are evaluated using the exergy and the overall efficiency criteria. The different scenarios are compared for inlet temperature of 600 K, flow rate of 100 L/min and Syltherm 800 as the working fluid. Moreover, the inlet temperature is examined from 450 to 650 K, and the diameter of the insert is investigated up to 50 mm.

According to the final results, the use of a cylindrical insert of 30 mm diameter is the most sustainable choice which leads to 0.56 per cent thermal efficiency enhancement. This insert was examined in various eccentric positions, and it is found that the optimum location is 10 mm over the initial position in the vertical direction. The thermal enhancement, in this case, is about 0.69 per cent. The pumping work demand was increased about three times with the insert of 30 mm, but the absolute values of this parameter are too low compared to the useful heat production. So, it is proved that the increase in the pumping work is not able to eliminate the useful heat production increase. Moreover, the thermal enhancement is found to be greater at higher temperature levels and can reach up to 1 per cent for an inlet temperature of r650 K.

The present work is a systematic investigation of the cylindrical flow insert in a parabolic trough collector. Different diameters of this insert, as well as different positions in two dimensions, are examined using a parametrization of angle-radius. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no other study in the literature that investigates the presented many cases systematically with the followed methodology on parabolic trough collectors. Moreover, the results of this work are evaluated with various criteria (thermal, exergy and overall efficiency), something which is not found in the literature.

The purpose of this study was to prepare colour pigments for use as spectrally selective coatings for solar absorbers.

Nano-particles cobalt and nickel oxides were prepared by sol–gel techniques. These oxides were prepared with its molar ratios and annealed at 200, 400, 600 and 800°C. The structure of the pigments was characterized by infrared spectrometer, differential scanning calorimetry analysis, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope.

Encapsulated cobalt and nickel oxides were completely formed at 800 and 600°C, and its colour was black and dark green, respectively. The results confirmed that black and green pigments combined selectivity with colour. Optical properties such as absorption and reflection were affected by the firing temperatures on cobalt and nickel oxides–gel polymers. All synthesized pigments consisted of nano-particles.

The prepared samples used in the present work were synthesized from cobalt chloride and nickel acetate. The salts were dispersed in polyacrylamide as a precursor.

The prepared metal oxides had good solar properties.

Colour becomes more important for thermal solar collectors, and it has attracted interest. This might be related to a generally growing attention towards architectural integration of solar energy systems into building. Architects would prefer different colours besides black, even if lower efficiency would have to be accepted.