Experimental Investigation of Parabolic Dish Solar Collector using Nanofluids for Steam Cooking

• Published in: Arabian journal for science and engineering (2011) 2024-02, Vol.49 (2), p.2581-2597
• Main Authors: Bekele, Addisu, Dereje, Shifera, Pandey, Vivek, Badruddin, Irfan Anjum
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Aluminum oxide; Cooking; Energy storage; Engineering; Figure of merit; Heat transfer; Humanities and Social Sciences; Magnesium chloride; multidisciplinary; Nanofluids; Nanoparticles; Renewable energy sources; Renewable resources; Research Article-Mechanical Engineering; Science; Sol-gel processes; Solar energy; Thermal energy; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 2193-567X; 1319-8025; 2191-4281
• DOI: 10.1007/s13369-023-08278-7

Environmental degradation, harmful emissions, and an increase in the prices of fuel and electricity are driving factors for the need of renewable energy sources such as solar energy which is an abundant and viable renewable resource. In this study, a Parabolic Dish Solar Collector (PDSC) is fabricated and used with high heat transfer ‘nanofluids’ for cooking application. The nanofluids comprise of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO nanoparticles which are synthesized by the sol–gel and conventional precipitation methods, respectively. The results indicate that the collector efficiency with 1% volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO nanoparticles is 69.13% and 65.5% respectively. Whereas the collector efficiency with 2% volume fraction of the nanoparticles is 71.63% and 67.99% respectively. The collector outlet temperature for 1% volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO nanoparticles in the nanofluid is 183 and 176 °C, respectively. Likewise the outlet temperature for 2% volume fraction of Al 2 O 3 and ZnO nanoparticles in the nanofluid is 185 and 181 °C, respectively. MgCl 2 ·6H 2 O is used as thermal energy storage material. During charging process the time, sensible energy, latent energy and total energy stored are 125 min, 1.92 MJ, 1.436 MJ and 3.35 MJ, whereas during the discharging process, these are 161 min, 1.57, 1.35 and 2.92 MJ, respectively. The nanofluids with Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles show better heat transfer characteristics compared to ZnO based nanofluid. The maximum value of the first figure of merit ( F 1 ) is 0.31 K m 2 /W. The second figure of merit ( F 2 ) for the cooker evaluated from the water boiling test is 0.42 K m 2 /W s