Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid
Solar electric-thermal systems are widely used around the world to exploit renewable energy. However, optimizing heat transfer efficiency (HTE) in solar thermal systems remains a significant challenge, particularly in enhancing the performance of flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs). This study addre...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Results in Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025021929 |
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| author | Kazem Bashirnezhad Mahyar Kargaran Saeed Zeinali Heris Yaghoub Mohammadfam |
| author_facet | Kazem Bashirnezhad Mahyar Kargaran Saeed Zeinali Heris Yaghoub Mohammadfam |
| author_sort | Kazem Bashirnezhad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Solar electric-thermal systems are widely used around the world to exploit renewable energy. However, optimizing heat transfer efficiency (HTE) in solar thermal systems remains a significant challenge, particularly in enhancing the performance of flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs). This study addresses this challenge by experimentally investigating the impact of twisted and perforated twisted tape turbulators on the efficiency of a solar collector using a hybrid nanofluid (NF) composed of copper oxide (CuO) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The innovative approach integrates galvanized iron turbulators with 4 mm-diameter perforations spaced 20 mm apart to minimize flow resistance while maximizing HTE. Experiments on collector tubes with varying twist ratios (2–5) revealed that the perforated twisted tape achieved a maximum HTE of over 67 % at a twist ratio of 2, representing a 25 % improvement over a baseline system. The system also achieved peak energy and exergy efficiencies of 86.34 % and 32.7 %, respectively, using the MWCNT-CuO hybrid NF. Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis showed that the CuO-MWCNT hybrid NF system achieved the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) at 0.024 USD/kWh, confirming its cost-effectiveness. Environmental impacts of NF use were also considered, emphasizing the importance of closed-loop design and responsible nanoparticle management. These findings demonstrate that integrating hybrid NFs and turbulators can significantly enhance thermal and economic performance in solar thermal systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e7797f03aa04478ea7f0ca2805bfeb1c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2590-1230 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Results in Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-e7797f03aa04478ea7f0ca2805bfeb1c2025-08-20T03:13:32ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-09-012710612010.1016/j.rineng.2025.106120Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluidKazem Bashirnezhad0Mahyar Kargaran1Saeed Zeinali Heris2Yaghoub Mohammadfam3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, , IranDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, , Iran; Corresponding authors.School of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology Shaanxi, China; Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; Corresponding authors.School of Safety Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Science and Technology Shaanxi, ChinaSolar electric-thermal systems are widely used around the world to exploit renewable energy. However, optimizing heat transfer efficiency (HTE) in solar thermal systems remains a significant challenge, particularly in enhancing the performance of flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs). This study addresses this challenge by experimentally investigating the impact of twisted and perforated twisted tape turbulators on the efficiency of a solar collector using a hybrid nanofluid (NF) composed of copper oxide (CuO) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The innovative approach integrates galvanized iron turbulators with 4 mm-diameter perforations spaced 20 mm apart to minimize flow resistance while maximizing HTE. Experiments on collector tubes with varying twist ratios (2–5) revealed that the perforated twisted tape achieved a maximum HTE of over 67 % at a twist ratio of 2, representing a 25 % improvement over a baseline system. The system also achieved peak energy and exergy efficiencies of 86.34 % and 32.7 %, respectively, using the MWCNT-CuO hybrid NF. Furthermore, a techno-economic analysis showed that the CuO-MWCNT hybrid NF system achieved the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) at 0.024 USD/kWh, confirming its cost-effectiveness. Environmental impacts of NF use were also considered, emphasizing the importance of closed-loop design and responsible nanoparticle management. These findings demonstrate that integrating hybrid NFs and turbulators can significantly enhance thermal and economic performance in solar thermal systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025021929CuO-MWCNTs Hybrid nanofluidSolar collectorHeat exchanger efficiencyTwisted tape turbulatorsHeat transfer enhancement |
| spellingShingle | Kazem Bashirnezhad Mahyar Kargaran Saeed Zeinali Heris Yaghoub Mohammadfam Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid Results in Engineering CuO-MWCNTs Hybrid nanofluid Solar collector Heat exchanger efficiency Twisted tape turbulators Heat transfer enhancement |
| title | Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid |
| title_full | Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid |
| title_fullStr | Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid |
| title_short | Improvement of thermal, energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid CuO-MWCNTs nanofluid |
| title_sort | improvement of thermal energy and exergy performance of flat panel solar collector by insertion of perforated strips and hybrid cuo mwcnts nanofluid |
| topic | CuO-MWCNTs Hybrid nanofluid Solar collector Heat exchanger efficiency Twisted tape turbulators Heat transfer enhancement |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025021929 |
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