On the rotary concentrated solar collector containing twisted ribs and MgO-Ag-water nanofluid

Background: Increasing the solar collectors' performance is of importance to produce higher clean energy. Twisted ribs, having a lengthy background, are beneficial fitted elements to improve mixing between the hot fluid sticking to the absorber with cold fluid flow. Method: The combination of twisted rib and rotary wall of the tubular solar collector is seeking in the current numerical work. Further, the solar absorber is considered to be filled with a hybrid nanofluid made by water and MgO-Ag nanoparticles. The variations of the average Nusselt number, friction factor, and performance evaluation criteria for all cases are drawn. The power demand of the system to assess the current cost of the new configuration is also calculated. Findings: The geometry with one twisted rib shows better heat transfer. Adding nanoparticles to the base fluid can improve Nusselt number 18 percent, on average. The increment in the Reynolds number causes 60 to 65 percent higher Nusselt number. The wall rotation has remained either a little aiding or an inverse effect on the heat transfer. However, this makes a lower pressure drop along the solar absorber by demanding low power, as the main advantage. (c) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The combination of twisted rib and rotary wall of the tubular solar collector with a hybrid nanofluid filled absorber was studied numerically. Results showed that the geometry with a single twisted rib exhibited better heat transfer, and adding nanoparticles improved the Nusselt number with little effect from wall rotation. Overall, this configuration can reduce pressure drop and power demand.