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Localized solar heating via graphene oxide nanofluid for direct steam generation

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Abstract

In the present paper, the performance of the graphene oxide in the solar steam generation has experimentally been examined. For this purpose, a setup was built for measuring the evaporation rate, which consists of a solar simulator with a xenon lamp as a radiation source, a pyranometer for light intensity measuring, and a sensory system for measuring the temperature and the mass. Then, the nanofluid with three nanoparticle mass concentrations of 0.001, 0.002, and 0.004% was prepared and exposed to the light intensity of 3.5 Suns (3.5 kW m−2). Finally, the effects of the light intensity variations on the solar steam generation were studied at the steady and transition conditions. The results showed that the examined carbon nanostructure is efficiently capable of direct solar energy harvesting, such that a maximum total efficiency of 78.9% at 3.5 Suns can be obtained, while the corresponding value for the case of pure water is about 54%. Furthermore, it was found that increasing the light intensity from 1.5 to 3.5 Suns enhances the evaporation flux rate, yet, reduces the evaporation efficiency.

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Abbreviations

A :

Surface area (m2)

Abs:

Light absorption (a.u.)

C p :

Specific heat capacity (kJ kg−1 K−1)

h fg :

Enthalpy of phase change (kJ kg−1)

I :

Light intensity (kW m−2)

M :

The initial mass of working fluid (g)

\(\dot{m}\) :

Water evaporation flux rate (kg m−2 h−1)

T :

Temperature (°C)

t :

Time (s)

\(\eta\) :

Efficiency (%)

w :

Nanoparticle mass fraction (%)

amb:

Ambient

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Mustafa Ghafurian, Hamid Niazmand & Hamed Elhami Nik

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Quchan University of Technology, Quchan, Iran

    Ehsan Ebrahimnia-Bajestan

  3. BioMEMS and Bioinspired Microfluidic Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Ehsan Ebrahimnia-Bajestan

  4. P.O.B. 9177948944, Mashhad, Iran

    Hamid Niazmand

Authors
  1. Mohammad Mustafa Ghafurian
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  2. Hamid Niazmand
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  3. Ehsan Ebrahimnia-Bajestan
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  4. Hamed Elhami Nik
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Correspondence to Hamid Niazmand.

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Ghafurian, M.M., Niazmand, H., Ebrahimnia-Bajestan, E. et al. Localized solar heating via graphene oxide nanofluid for direct steam generation. J Therm Anal Calorim 135, 1443–1449 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7496-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7496-0

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