Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform
Solar electric and solar thermal energies are often considered as part of the solution to the current energy emergency. The pipes of flat plate solar devices are normally heated by their upper surfaces giving rise to an asymmetric temperature field in the bulk of the fluid, which influences the heat...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Mariano Alarcón Juan-Pedro Luna-Abad Manuel Seco-Nicolás Imane Moulefera Gloria Víllora |
| author_facet | Mariano Alarcón Juan-Pedro Luna-Abad Manuel Seco-Nicolás Imane Moulefera Gloria Víllora |
| author_sort | Mariano Alarcón |
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| description | Solar electric and solar thermal energies are often considered as part of the solution to the current energy emergency. The pipes of flat plate solar devices are normally heated by their upper surfaces giving rise to an asymmetric temperature field in the bulk of the fluid, which influences the heat transfer process. In the present work, a study of the characteristic length of tubes, or most efficient distance at which heat transfer occurs, in flat photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) hybrid solar devices has been carried out using three heat transfer fluids: water, [Emim]Ac ionic liquid and ionanofluid of graphene nanoparticles suspended in the former ionic liquid. The mean objective of the study was to know whether the heat transfer occurs in optimal conditions. Experimental measurements have been made on a commercial PVT device, and numerical simulations have been performed using the HEATT<sup>®</sup> platform to determine the characteristic length of the process. The tests conducted showed a clear improvement in the temperature jump of the fluid inside the collector when INF is used compared to water and ionic liquid and even a higher overall energy efficiency. Electricity generation is not greatly affected by the fluid used, although it is slightly higher when water is used. Slower fluid velocities are recommended if high fluid outlet temperatures are the goal of the application, but this penalizes the overall thermal energy production. The characteristic process length is not typically achieved in parallel tube PVT collectors with ordinary flow rates, which would require a speed, and consequently, a flow rate, about 10 times lower, which penalizes the performance (up to four times), although it increases the fluid outlet temperature by 234%, which can be very interesting in certain applications. Ionanofluids may in the medium term become an alternative to water in flat plates or vacuum solar collectors for applications with temperatures close to or above 100 °C, when their costs will hopefully fall. The results and methodology developed in this work are applicable to solar thermal collectors other than PVT collectors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5d1433c24a414aa6b7180949a3b43e7e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-5d1433c24a414aa6b7180949a3b43e7e2024-11-26T18:02:24ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-11-011722570310.3390/en17225703Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> PlatformMariano Alarcón0Juan-Pedro Luna-Abad1Manuel Seco-Nicolás2Imane Moulefera3Gloria Víllora4Electromagnetism and Electronics Department, International Campus of Excellence in the European Context (CEIR) Campus Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainThermal and Fluid Engineering Department, International Campus of Excellence in the European Context (CEIR) Campus Mare Nostrum, Technical University of Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, SpainElectromagnetism and Electronics Department, International Campus of Excellence in the European Context (CEIR) Campus Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainChemical Engineering Department, International Campus of Excellence in the European Context (CEIR) Campus Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainChemical Engineering Department, International Campus of Excellence in the European Context (CEIR) Campus Mare Nostrum, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, SpainSolar electric and solar thermal energies are often considered as part of the solution to the current energy emergency. The pipes of flat plate solar devices are normally heated by their upper surfaces giving rise to an asymmetric temperature field in the bulk of the fluid, which influences the heat transfer process. In the present work, a study of the characteristic length of tubes, or most efficient distance at which heat transfer occurs, in flat photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) hybrid solar devices has been carried out using three heat transfer fluids: water, [Emim]Ac ionic liquid and ionanofluid of graphene nanoparticles suspended in the former ionic liquid. The mean objective of the study was to know whether the heat transfer occurs in optimal conditions. Experimental measurements have been made on a commercial PVT device, and numerical simulations have been performed using the HEATT<sup>®</sup> platform to determine the characteristic length of the process. The tests conducted showed a clear improvement in the temperature jump of the fluid inside the collector when INF is used compared to water and ionic liquid and even a higher overall energy efficiency. Electricity generation is not greatly affected by the fluid used, although it is slightly higher when water is used. Slower fluid velocities are recommended if high fluid outlet temperatures are the goal of the application, but this penalizes the overall thermal energy production. The characteristic process length is not typically achieved in parallel tube PVT collectors with ordinary flow rates, which would require a speed, and consequently, a flow rate, about 10 times lower, which penalizes the performance (up to four times), although it increases the fluid outlet temperature by 234%, which can be very interesting in certain applications. Ionanofluids may in the medium term become an alternative to water in flat plates or vacuum solar collectors for applications with temperatures close to or above 100 °C, when their costs will hopefully fall. The results and methodology developed in this work are applicable to solar thermal collectors other than PVT collectors.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/22/5703solar energyphotovoltaic-thermal collectors (PVT)characteristic lengthionanofluidsHEATT<sup>®</sup> |
| spellingShingle | Mariano Alarcón Juan-Pedro Luna-Abad Manuel Seco-Nicolás Imane Moulefera Gloria Víllora Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform Energies solar energy photovoltaic-thermal collectors (PVT) characteristic length ionanofluids HEATT<sup>®</sup> |
| title | Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform |
| title_full | Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform |
| title_fullStr | Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform |
| title_short | Study of Ionanofluids Behavior in PVT Solar Collectors: Determination of Thermal Fields and Characteristic Length by Means of HEATT<sup>®</sup> Platform |
| title_sort | study of ionanofluids behavior in pvt solar collectors determination of thermal fields and characteristic length by means of heatt sup r sup platform |
| topic | solar energy photovoltaic-thermal collectors (PVT) characteristic length ionanofluids HEATT<sup>®</sup> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/22/5703 |
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