Innovating energy governance: The role of nanofluid-enhanced solar vacuum hemispherical cavity receivers

Abstract

This study presents a novel investigation of a solar dish concentrator utilizing a vacuum hemispherical cavity receiver, evaluated through energy, exergy, and environmental analyses. A key focus was placed on using soybean oil-based ${Ti}_3{C}_2$ nanofluids at varying concentrations of 0, 0.025, 0.075, and 0.125 wt% as the working fluid in the solar system. The analyses were conducted against fluctuating solar radiation throughout 2022 in Tehran, Iran. A significant innovation of this research lies in comparing the vacuum hemispherical cavity receiver with a non-vacuum counterpart. The findings indicate that increasing the concentrations of nanofluids can significantly boost energy efficiency, achieving a peak of around 82.55% with a 0.125 wt% concentration in August 2022. Additionally, the overall thermal efficiency trends were closely aligned with solar radiation patterns, reaching a peak of approximately 82.75% during the same month with the same nanofluid concentration. Importantly, higher nanofluid concentrations also play a crucial role in reducing annual CO₂ emissions, leading to increased carbon credits. This suggests a strong environmental benefit alongside the performance improvements. The study underscores the promise of vacuum hemispherical cavity receivers in solar dish concentrators as a means to strengthen energy governance by fostering renewable energy investments and innovation through supportive policy frameworks. The insights gained from this research present a novel approach to enhance energy governance while simultaneously minimizing adverse environmental impacts in the future.