Feature of SiO2 concentration on solar thermal functional characteristics of flat plate solar collector
Mylswamy Thirunavukkarasu, Sujit Kumar, Ramadass Sakthivel, Venkatesh Rathinavelu, Prasad Mohan, Manzoore Elahi M. Soudagar, Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Asiful H. Seikh, Parkunam Nagaraj
Abstract
Solar collectors configured with flat plate innovation pushed to drive the prime role in research in solar renewable energy due to economic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Besides, the low thermal efficiency and heat loss are the major drawbacks of using flat plate-type solar collectors. The current research adopts the 2% volume fractions of SiO2 nanofluid as the working fluid. Their effects on solar thermal functional characteristics of solar collectors made with the flat plate are experimentally analyzed with the mass-flow rate of 2 Lpm, 2.5 Lpm, 3 Lpm, and 3.5 Lpm, respectively, for air dryer applications. A flat plate solar collector?s investigational thermal performance is compared with water fluid. The significance of a 2% volume fraction of SiO2 nanofluid is operating at 3.5 Lpm recorded higher temperature (71?C), optimum thermal efficiency of 84.1%, and better drying efficiency of 83.4%. The optimum results of the present investigation utilized for air dryer applications.