Flat plate solar collector performance using alumina nanofluids: Experimental characterization and efficiency tests.

Solar energy has become an important renewable energy source for reducing the use of fossil fuels and to mitigate global warming, for which solar collectors constitute a technology that is to be promoted. The use of nanofluids can increase the efficiency of solar into thermal energy conversion in solar collectors. Experimental values for the specific heat, thermal conductivity and viscosity of alumina/water nanofluids are needed to evaluate the influence of the solid content (from 0.25 to 5 v%) and the flow rate on the Reynolds, Nusselt and the heat transfer coefficient. In the laminar flow regime, thermal conductivity enhancement over specific heat decrement is key parameter, and a 2.34% increase in the heat transfer coefficient is theoretically obtained for 1 v% alumina nanofluid. To corroborate the results, experimental tests were run in a flat plate solar collector. A reduction in efficiency from 47% to 41.5% and a decrease in the heat removal factor were obtained using the nanofluid due to the formation of a nanoparticle deposition layer adding an addition thermal resistance to heat transfer. Nanofluids are recommended only if the nanoparticle concentration is high enough to enhance thermal conductivity, but no so high so as to avoid wall deposition.

On the relationship between the specific heat enhancement of salt-based nanofluids and the ionic exchange capacity of nanoparticles.

Nanoparticles have been used in thermal applications to increase the specific heat of the molten salts used in Concentrated Solar Power plants for thermal energy storage. Although several mechanisms for abnormal enhancement have been proposed, they are still being investigated and more research is necessary. However, this nanoparticle-salt interaction can also be found in chemical applications in which nanoparticles have proved suitable to be used as an adsorbent for nitrate removal given their high specific surface, reactivity and ionic exchange capacity. In this work, the ionic exchange capacity mechanism for the nanoparticles functionalization phenomenon was evaluated. The ionic exchange capacity of silica and alumina nanoparticles dispersed in lithium, sodium and potassium nitrates was measured. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy tests confirmed the adsorption of nitrate ions on the nanoparticle surface. A relationship between the ionic exchange capacity of nanoparticles and the specific heat enhancement of doped molten salts was proposed for the first time.

Nanofluid based on self-nanoencapsulated metal/metal alloys phase change materials with tuneable crystallisation temperature.

Nanofluids using nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials (nePCM) allow increments in both the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the base fluid. Incremented heat capacity is produced by the melting enthalpy of the nanoparticles core. In this work two important advances in this nanofluid type are proposed and experimentally tested. It is firstly shown that metal and metal alloy nanoparticles can be used as self-encapsulated nePCM using the metal oxide layer that forms naturally in most commercial synthesis processes as encapsulation. In line with this, Sn/SnOx nanoparticles morphology, size and thermal properties were studied by testing the suitability and performance of encapsulation at high temperatures and thermal cycling using a commercial thermal oil (Therminol 66) as the base fluid. Secondly, a mechanism to control the supercooling effect of this nePCM type based on non-eutectic alloys was developed.

Characterization of Tin/Ethylene Glycol Solar Nanofluids Synthesized by Femtosecond Laser Radiation.

Solar energy is available over wide geographical areas and its harnessing is becoming an essential tool to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for energy with minimal environmental impact. Solar nanofluids are a novel solar receiver concept for efficient harvesting of solar radiation based on volumetric absorption of directly irradiated nanoparticles in a heat transfer fluid. Herein, the fabrication of a solar nanofluid by pulsed laser ablation in liquids was explored. This study was conducted with the ablation of bulk tin immersed in ethylene glycol with a femtosecond laser. Laser irradiation promotes the formation of tin nanoparticles that are collected in the ethylene glycol as colloids, creating the solar nanofluid. The ability to trap incoming electromagnetic radiation, thermal conductivity, and the stability of the solar nanofluid in comparison with conventional synthesis methods is enhanced.

Increment of specific heat capacity of solar salt with SiO2 nanoparticles.

Thermal energy storage (TES) is extremely important in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants since it represents the main difference and advantage of CSP plants with respect to other renewable energy sources such as wind, photovoltaic, etc. CSP represents a low-carbon emission renewable source of energy, and TES allows CSP plants to have energy availability and dispatchability using available industrial technologies. Molten salts are used in CSP plants as a TES material because of their high operational temperature and stability of up to 500°C. Their main drawbacks are their relative poor thermal properties and energy storage density. A simple cost-effective way to improve thermal properties of fluids is to dope them with nanoparticles, thus obtaining the so-called salt-based nanofluids. In this work, solar salt used in CSP plants (60% NaNO3 + 40% KNO3) was doped with silica nanoparticles at different solid mass concentrations (from 0.5% to 2%). Specific heat was measured by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A maximum increase of 25.03% was found at an optimal concentration of 1 wt.% of nanoparticles. The size distribution of nanoparticle clusters present in the salt at each concentration was evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image processing, as well as by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS). The cluster size and the specific surface available depended on the solid content, and a relationship between the specific heat increment and the available particle surface area was obtained. It was proved that the mechanism involved in the specific heat increment is based on a surface phenomenon. Stability of samples was tested for several thermal cycles and thermogravimetric analysis at high temperature was carried out, the samples being stable. PACS: 65.: Thermal properties of condensed matter; 65.20.-w: Thermal properties of liquids; 65.20.Jk: Studies of thermodynamic properties of specific liquids.

Optimal feature extraction for segmentation of Diesel spray images.

A one-dimensional simplification, based on optimal feature extraction, of the algorithm based on the likelihood-ratio test method (LRT) for segmentation in colored Diesel spray images is presented. If the pixel values of the Diesel spray and the combustion images are represented in RGB space, in most cases they are distributed in an area with a given so-called privileged direction. It is demonstrated that this direction permits optimal feature extraction for one-dimensional segmentation in the Diesel spray images, and some of its advantages compared with more-conventional one-dimensional simplification methods, including considerably reduced computational cost while accuracy is maintained within more than reasonable limits, are presented. The method has been successfully applied to images of Diesel sprays injected at room temperature as well as to images of sprays with evaporation and combustion. It has proved to be valid for several cameras and experimental arrangements.