APPLICATIONS OF

NANOFLUIDS IN
SOLAR ENERGY
SYSTEMS
THEJAS S
Mtech Thermal Engg
NIT Warangal

What are NANOFLUIDS?

Colloidal suspensionsof nanoparticles in a
basefluid.
The nanoparticles are typically made of
metals,
oxides, carbides, orcarbon nanotubes.
Common base fluids include
water,ethylene
glycoland oil.
Examples
1.Aluminium,Copper or Al2O3 in water
2.Graphite in Therminol or Propylene

Why use NANOFLUIDS?

Common fluids such as water, ethylene
glycol, and
heat transfer oil have relatively low
thermal
conductivity and thus cannot reach high
heat
exchange rates in thermal engineering
devices.
Nanofluids, compared to suspensions with
particles
of millimeter-or-micrometer size, show
better

Application in Solar Thermal

Systems
Solar collectors
are of particular kind of
heat
exchangers which absorbs the incoming
solar
radiation and convert it into thermal
energy.
The use of nanofluids in solar water
heaters is
Application in Solar Ponds and Solar
discussed with respect to two aspects
stills(Desalination and Water
1) Efficiency view point
purification)
2) Economic and Environmental view

Nanofluids have an unprecedented

combination of the four characteristic
features desired in energy systems (fluid
and thermal systems):
1.Increased thermal conductivity (TC)
at low nanoparticle concentrations
2.Strong temperature-dependent TC
3.Non-linear increase in TC with
nanoparticle concentration
4.Increase in boiling critical heat flux
(CHF)