Experimental Study on Thermal Efficiency of Flat Plate Solar Collector Using TiO2/Water Nanofluid

Abstract

In this study, a small flat plate solar collector (FPSC) was fabricated and tested for studying the effects of different nano particle concentrations of in water as base fluid. Three flow rates (i.e. 36, 72 and 108 lit/m2.hr) and four particles concentration ratios (i.e. 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 % wt) were investigated. Experimental testing method was selected based on EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 12975-2 as a quasi-dynamic test method (QDT). Adding nano particles to water brought about an improvement of initial efficiency of FPSC between 3.5 and 10.5% and the index of collector total efficiency between 2.6 and 7% relative to base fluid. Also the results indicate that the initial efficiency () for 36, 72 and 108 lit/m2.hr flow rates of water as base fluid were 0.4712, 0.4998 and 0.5457, respectively which reveals the increase of 6.1 and 15.8% of it in the two latter cases in comparison with the first case, 36 lit/m2.hr flow rate. In addition, the index of collector total efficiency of 72 and 108 lit/m2.hr mass flow rates has increased by 6.7 and 15.7%, respectively in comparison with 36 lit/ m2.hr mass flow rate.