Optical and Thermal Analysis of a Flat Plate Solar Collector Using Water and Alumina Nano Fluids

Abstract

Increasing energy demands along with the exhaustion of conventional fuel resources, pollution and global warming governed the use of renewable energy resources. Solar energy is very commonly used because of the ease of availability, sustainable properties and having very less impact on the environment. To convert solar energy into thermal energy, FPCs are extensively used due to compatibility with small and medium size applications but they are found to be less efficient. To increase solar collector's performance Nano fluids can be used. So, in this work, optical and thermal analysis of a FPC was done numerically, by using water and alumina nano fluids for the weather conditions of Taxila, Pakistan. It is observed that the use of Nano fluids in FPC improves the useful heat gain and efficiency as compared to water.