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A review of different working fluids used in the receiver tube of parabolic trough solar collector

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Abstract

Parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs) or parabolic trough collectors have caught the interest of scientists and renewable energy enthusiasts due to their wide range of operating temperatures between 100 and 700 °C and their potential for power production as well as industrial process heating. More PTSCs have been constructed than all other concentrated sun-producing apparatuses put together. One of the most important functional components of the PTSC is the space for heat collection, also known as the absorber tube and transporting fluids. To increase its thermal potential, numerous investigations on the fluids in the absorber tube flow have been conducted. Better fluid thermo-physical properties are required to improve heat transfer and the system's overall efficiency. Examining different heat transfer fluids (HTF) that have been used for PTSC absorber tube/receiver tube is the goal of the current review. The usage of novel HTFs like nanofluids is also investigated, along with conventional fluids like thermic fluid and water. Review of the performance of the PTSC with various fluids using experiments and numerical methods are presented.. There are many difficulties with once-through PTSCs since two-phase flow circumstances make them worse and can occasionally cause tube bending. Summarized comparisons of several studies looking at the stability, manufacturing methods, and effects of hybrid nanofluids on PTSC thermal properties are summarized. For HTF inside the absorber tube, hybrid nanofluids and nanofluids may be used to enhance the thermal and optical characteristics of PTSC. It also demonstrates that metal oxide hybrid nanofluids are discovered to be more successful and efficient in enhancing thermal conductivity causing heat transfer augmentation than oxide nanofluids. This research, in our opinion, will encourage scientists and manufacturers to choose appropriate working fluids for PTSC applications.

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Abbreviations

CFD:

Computational fluid dynamics

CNT:

Carbon nanotube

CPC:

Compound parabolic concentrator

CTC:

Circular trough collectors

CSP:

Concentrated solar power

DSC:

Differential scanning calorimeter

DSG:

Direct steam generation

GNP:

Graphene nanoparticles

HDH:

Humidification and dehumidification

HTF:

Heat transfer fluid

LFR:

Linear Fresnel reflector

MWCNT:

Multi-wall carbon nanotube

Nm:

Nano-meter

PTC:

Parabolic trough collector

PTSC:

Parabolic trough solar collector

SDC:

Solar dish concentrator

TES:

Thermal energy storage

h:

Flow-induced heat transfer coefficient

K:

Thermal conductivity

Nu:

Nusselt number

Pr:

Prandtl number

Re:

Reynolds number

T:

Temperature

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Acknowledgements

The corresponding author thankfully acknowledges the financial support from the All India Council of Technical Education Under the Research Promotion Scheme (RPS), the Government of India having research grant 8-46/FDC/RPS (POLICY-1)/2019-20 to carry out this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Odisha University of Technology and Research, Bhubaneswar, India

    Asish Sarangi, Abhisek Sarangi, Sudhansu Sekhar Sahoo & Ramesh Kumar Mallik

  2. School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, India

    Subhankar Ray

  3. Empereal-KGDS Renewable Energy Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore, 641035, India

    Shinu M. Varghese

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Sarangi, A., Sarangi, A., Sahoo, S.S. et al. A review of different working fluids used in the receiver tube of parabolic trough solar collector. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 3929–3954 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-11991-y

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