Vikrant Khullar

Himanshu Tyagi1
e-mail: himanshu.tyagi@iitrpr.ac.in
School of Mechanical,
Materials and Energy Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar,
Rupnagar, Punjab 140001, India
Patrick E. Phelan
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering,
Arizona State University,
Tempe, AZ 85287-6106
Todd P. Otanicar
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Tulsa,
Tulsa, OK 74104
Harjit Singh
School of Engineering and Design,
Brunel University,
Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
Robert A. Taylor
School of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering,
The University of New South Wales,
Gate 14, Barker Street,
Kensington, Sydney, 2052, Australia
Solar Energy Harvesting
Using Nanofluids-Based
Concentrating Solar Collector
Dispersing trace amounts of nanoparticles into common base-fluids has a significant
impact on the optical as well as thermophysical properties of the base-fluid. This charac-
teristic can be utilized to effectively capture and transport solar radiation. Enhancement
of the solar irradiance absorption capacity leads to a higher heat transfer rate resulting
in more efficient heat transfer. This paper attempts to introduce the idea of harvesting so-
lar radiant energy through usage of nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar col-
lectors (NCPSC). In order to theoretically analyze the NCPSC, it has been
mathematically modeled, and the governing equations have been numerically solved
using finite difference technique. The results of the model were compared with the experi-
mental results of conventional concentrating parabolic solar collectors under similar
conditions. It was observed that while maintaining the same external conditions (such as
ambient/inlet temperatures, wind speed, solar insolation, flow rate, concentration ratio,
etc.) the NCPSC has about 5–10% higher efficiency as compared to the conventional par-
abolic solar collector. Furthermore, parametric studies were carried out to discover the
influence of various parameters on performance and efficiency. The following parameters
were studied in the present study: solar insolation, incident angle, and the convective
heat transfer coefficient. The theoretical results clearly indicate that the NCPSC has the
potential to harness solar radiant energy more efficiently than a conventional parabolic
trough. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4007387]
Keywords: nanofluids, solar irradiance, concentrating parabolic solar collector, heat
transfer, participating media

1 Introduction
Stable nanoparticle dispersions, i.e., nanofluids [1–3] have recently
found relevance in applications requiring quick and effective heat
transfer such as industrial cooling applications [4], cooling of micro-
chips [5], microscale fluidic applications [6], cryopreservation [7],
and gasification of biomass [8]. Moreover, in contrast to conven-
tional heat transfer fluids (for solar thermal applications) like water,
ethylene glycol, and molten salts, nanofluids are not transparent to
solar radiant energy; instead, they absorb and scatter significantly the
solar irradiance passing through them [9,10].The aforementioned
characteristics have led the researchers to analyze these fluids (nano-
fluids) for their suitability as the working fluid in solar thermal appli-
cations. In this direction, a novel nonconcentrating type solar
collector employing nanofluids as the working fluid (nanofluid-based
direct absorption solar collector) has been proposed by a few
researchers [11,12]. Similar attempts have been made to explore the
applicability of nanofluids in the case of high flux collectors [13,14].
Except for the recent work of Khullar and Tyagi [15] all the studies
thus far which are relevant to nanofluid-based direct absorption col-
lectors have primarily been carried out on concentrating and noncon-
centrating flat-plate receivers.
The current paper attempts to analyze the heat transfer aspects of a
nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar collector. Each compo-
nent of the NCPSC has been mathematically modeled with special
emphasis on the receiver or the heat collector element (HCE) part of
1
Corresponding author.
Manuscript received March 12, 2012; final manuscript received August 10, 2012;
published online January 18, 2013. Assoc. Editor: Debjyoti Banerjee.
the NCPSC. Heat transfer to the working fluid (nanofluid) has been
approximated as coupled radiative and conduction heat transfer in
absorbing, emitting, and scattering medium. Finite difference tech-
nique has been used to numerically solve the coupled equations and
to calculate the temperature distribution spatially within the working
fluid. Furthermore, this temperature distribution was utilized for cal-
culation of the thermal efficiency of the NCPSC, as well as the radia-
tive and convective losses from the HCE and various other
performance indicators. Finally, these results were validated theoreti-
cally and compared with those of conventional parabolic trough
collectors available in the literature [16].
2 Basic Theoretical Model
2.1 Overview. A nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic so-
lar collector is similar to a conventional solar parabolic trough
collector except for the linear receiver or the HCE part of the col-
lector. In terms of constructional details, the two types of
receivers differ in the sense that in the case of NCPSC the
absorber tube is replaced by a glass tube which houses the nano-
fluid so that direct interaction of the working fluid with the solar
irradiance is possible. Figure 1 outlines and provides a compari-
son of the two types of receivers. This novel type of nanofluid-
based HCE introduces a paradigm shift in the way the solar radi-
ant energy is captured.
In the conventional HCE, the solar radiant energy is first
absorbed by the absorber tube and then transferred to the working
fluid via conduction and convection modes, i.e., the working fluid
itself does not directly interact with the incoming solar irradiance.
However, in the case of NCPSC the working fluid is allowed to
directly interact with the incoming solar irradiance, and as a result

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 Table 1 The details of the material, optical properties, and geo-
metrical dimensions of various componentsa

Parabolic concentrator Glass tube Glass envelope

Material Low-iron glass Pyrex glass Pyrex glass

Reflectivity 0.93 — —
Transmittanceb — 0.95 0.95
Width (m) 5 — —
Length (m) 7.84 8.0 8.0
Rim angle (deg) 70 — —
Focal length (m) 1.84 — —
Diameter (mm) — 70 115
Fig. 1 Schematic of (a) conventional receiver and (b) NCPSC
a
These have been kept exactly the same as those of the conventional col-
lector [16] with which the results of this study are compared.
b
For normally incident solar irradiance.

have been made to simplify the theoretical model and at the same
time the assumptions have been carefully made so that the model
remains sufficiently accurate for engineering purposes. The radi-
ant energy source, i.e., the sun, has been approximated as a perfect
blackbody at a surface temperature of 5800 K and its spectral
power distribution has been approximated by Planck’s distribution
law, given by Eq. (1)

2hc2o
Ibk ðTsun Þ ¼     (1)
5 hco
k exp 1
kkB Tsun

Fig. 2 Attenuation of solar irradiance as it passes through the
nanofluid and subsequent convective (qconv) and radiative
(qrad) losses
volumetric energy absorption takes place via absorption and scat-
tering mechanisms (as shown in Fig. 2). Moreover, the spatial dis-
tribution and the volume fraction of the nanoparticles can be
engineered to realize the desired energy absorption.
2.2 Underlying Assumptions. In order to quantitatively ana-
lyze the heat transfer mechanism, certain reasonable assumptions
For the current analysis, the spectral power distribution has been
limited to a wavelength band ranging from 0:1 lm to 3 lm as the
sun emits more than 97% of its radiant energy in this wavelength
band [17]. The incoming solar irradiance is assumed to be incident
perpendicular to the aperture area of the parabolic concentrator so
that all of it is concentrated onto the receiver, as shown in Fig. 3.
Once the solar irradiance reaches the HCE, a small part of it is
absorbed and reflected by the glass envelope and the glass tube
and the rest is able to reach the nanofluid (depending on the trans-
missivity of the glass tube and envelope).
The details of the material, optical properties, and geometrical
dimensions of various components of the NCPSC are provided in
Table 1. The interaction between the solar irradiance and the
nanofluid has been approximated as combined conductive and
radiative heat transfer in absorbing, emitting, and scattering me-
dium. Nanoparticles scatter as well as absorb the solar irradiance,
whereas scattering by the base-fluid being negligible has not been
accounted for in the current model. Furthermore, scattering by the

Fig. 3 Schematic of NCPSC

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 Table 2 The material (and geometrical details) of the nanopar-
ticles and the thermophysical properties of nanoparticles [19]
and the base-fluid [20]
Nanoparticles Base-fluid
Therminol VP-1Va
R
Material Aluminium
Mean diameter, D(nm) 5 —
Shape Spherical —
Density, q (kg m3) 2700 1060
Specific heat, cp (Jkg1 K1) 900 1570
Thermal conductivity, k (W m1K1) 247 0.1357
Volume fraction (%), fv 0.05 —
a
Commonly used heat transfer fluid (special formulation of Diphenyl oxide
and biphenyl)
nanoparticles has been approximated as independent scattering
(the volume fraction of the nanoparticles being very small) fol-
lowing Rayleigh’s [18] regime (this can be justified as the size of
the nanoparticles is small as compared to the wavelength of the
interacting solar irradiance), i.e., a ¼ pD=k  1, where a is the
size parameter. The material, geometrical details of the nanopar-
ticles, and the thermophysical properties of the nanoparticles and
the base-fluid are given in Table 2 [19,20].
The effective density and specific heat of the nanofluid have
been found by employing the parallel mixture rule [21,22]. The
parallel mixture rule as applied to density and the specific heat are
described mathematically by Eqs. 2(a) and 2(b) as
qnf ¼ fv qnp þ ð1  fv Þqbf (2a)
cpnf ¼ fv cpnp þ ð1  fv Þcpbf (2b)
where fv is the volume fraction of the nanoparticles; qnf , qnp , qbf
are the densities, and cpnf , cpnp , cpbf are the specific heats of the
nanofluid, nanoparticles, and the base-fluid, respectively.
The effective medium theory for calculating the effective ther-
mal conductivity of the nanofluid has been proposed by many
researchers [22–27]. The Maxwell effective medium theory [23],
the model equation of Hamilton and Crosser [24], and more
recently, the generalized theory by Nan et al. [27] have been
found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. More-
over, the last two of the above-mentioned theories collapse to the
Maxwell effective medium theory for spherical particles and neg-
ligible interfacial thermal resistance [28]. Mathematically, the
Maxwell effective theory can be represented by Eq. (3) as [23]
 
knf knp þ 2kbf þ 2fv knp  kbf
¼   (3)
kbf knp þ 2kbf  fv knp  kbf
where knf , kbf , and knp are the thermal conductivities of the nano-
fluid, base-fluid, and nanoparticles, respectively, and fv is the vol-
ume fraction of the nanoparticles. It is clearly apparent from
Eqs. (2) and (3) that at very low values of volume fraction (0.05%
in the present study) the effective thermophysical properties (den-
sity, specific heat capacity, and the thermal conductivity) of the
nanofluid do not vary significantly from those of the base-fluid
itself. More recently, experiments conducted by Lenert et al. [29]
employing carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles dispersed in Ther-
minol VP-1 have also revealed that the thermophysical properties
of nanofluids are effectively similar to those of the base-fluid at
very low volume fractions.
As high fluid temperatures are involved in the analysis, there-
fore, it is necessary to investigate the temperature dependence of
the thermophysical and optical properties of the nanofluid. Firstly,
the temperature dependence of the thermophysical properties is
investigated. It has been recently reported by Zhang et al. [22]
that the temperature dependence of thermophysical properties of
nanofluids is not dominated by the solid phase but the liquid phase
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Fig. 4 Effect of temperature on the thermal diffusivity of Ther-
minol VP-1 (data points taken from Ref. [20])
at low volume fractions of nanoparticles. Therefore, in order to
study the temperature dependence of thermophysical properties of
nanofluids, it is sufficient to investigate the base-fluid only (Ther-
minol VP-1 in the present case). It can be clearly seen from Fig. 4
that the thermophysical properties of therminol VP-1(data points
taken from Ref. [20]) are not significantly dependent on tempera-
ture. Furthermore, the thermal efficiency of the collector is a weak
function of these mildly temperature dependent thermophysical
properties (described in greater detail at the end of Sec. 4.2).
Hence, as a whole the thermophysical properties can be safely
approximated as temperature independent.
Next, the temperature dependence of the optical properties is
considered. A few researchers have investigated the temperature
dependence of the optical properties of metals [30] and metallic
nanoparticles [31] and concluded that the optical properties are
nearly independent of the temperature (for the operating tempera-
ture range which encompasses the temperature range in the pres-
ent study). Also, the refractive index of water has been found to
decrease slightly with an increase in temperature [32].
In the backdrop of the above-mentioned findings and the lack
of optical property data (as a function of temperature) for thermi-
nol VP-1, it is difficult to predict the temperature dependence of
the optical properties of the nanofluid as a whole. Therefore, in
the present study, optical properties have been assumed to be tem-
perature independent. As a future work, the authors intend to
investigate if the temperature has some significant impact on the
optical properties of therminol VP-1 based nanofluids.
2.3 Solar Irradiance Interaction With Participating
Medium. As the electromagnetic radiation (solar irradiance)
interacts with the participating medium (nanofluid), attenuation of
the solar radiant energy takes place through absorption and scat-
tering mechanisms. This results in conversion of solar radiant
energy into the thermal energy of the working fluid which can
then be utilized for water heating applications, electricity genera-
tion, and biomass gasification. In order to calculate the resultant
intensities at various radial locations, the radiative transfer equa-
tion (RTE) has been employed. The RTE takes into account the
attenuation (as a result of absorption and out-scattering) as well as
the augmentation (as a result of emission) of the intensity as it
transverses through the nanofluid. Mathematically, it is given by
Eq. 4(a) as [33]
1 @ ðrIk Þ
¼ Keknf Ik þ Kaknf Ibk (4a)
r @r
where Kaknf and Keknf are the spectral absorption and extinction
coefficients of the nanofluid, respectively. The solar irradiance
absorption capability of the nanofluid depends on how well do the
AUGUST 2012, Vol. 3 / 031003-3
 nanoparticles absorb and scatter the incident solar irradiance.
Quantitatively the magnitude of the absorption and scattering
coefficients of the nanoparticles represent the solar irradiance
absorption capability, and mathematically, these coefficients are
given by Eqs. 4(b) and 4(c), respectively [11,18].
 2    
6pfv m 1 p2 D2 m2  1 m4 þ 27m2 þ 38
Kaknp ¼ Im 2 1þ
k m þ2 15k2 m2 þ 2 2m2 þ 3
(4b)

 
2
4p4 D3 fv

m2  1

Ksknp ¼ (4c)
k 4
m2 þ 2

where fv , D, and m are the volume fraction, diameter, and the

normalized refractive index of the nanoparticles, respectively.
Equations 4(b) and 4(c) reveal that for a given nanoparticle ma-
terial (aluminium in the present study), these coefficients are
functions of the volume fraction and the diameter of the
nanoparticles.
First, the effect of nanoparticle diameter on the coefficients is
investigated. Careful observation of Eq. 4(b) reveals that for very
low values of the size parameter, a (which encompass the present
study) the second term in absorption coefficient becomes insignifi-
cant. Therefore, the absorption coefficient can be safely assumed
to be independent of nanoparticle diameter. Furthermore, Eq. 4(c)
reveals that the scattering coefficient of the nanoparticles varies
with the third power (D3 ) of the nanoparticle size. But, the size of
the particles being very small (of the order of nanometers) and
keeping in view the maximum particle size as limited by the Ray-
leigh scattering regime the magnitude of the scattering coefficient
itself comes out to be negligible. The aforementioned observa-
tions reveal that the extinction coefficient (which takes into
account both the absorption and scattering by the nanoparticles)
and, hence, the solar irradiance absorption capability is nearly in-
dependent of the nanoparticle size.
Next, the impact of volume fraction of nanoparticles is investi-
gated. It can be deduced from Eqs. 4(b) and 4(c) that both the
absorption as well as scattering coefficients increase monotoni-
cally with increase in the volume fraction (maximum value of fv is
limited by Rayleigh and independent scattering approximations)
of the nanoparticles. For extremely low volume fractions of nano-
particles dispersed in the base-fluid, the resultant nanofluid will
not be able to fully capture the solar irradiance incident on it. Fur-
thermore, at very high volume fractions the absorption will be
limited to a very thin layer at the top and the subsequent heat
transfer to the rest of the nanofluid will be through conduction and
convection modes, i.e., a volumetric absorption-based collector
(such as NCPSC) will approximate a surface absorption-based
collector (such as the Conventional parabolic trough) at very high
values of nanoparticle volume fraction). Therefore, it is impera-
tive to choose the volume fraction carefully in order to realize effi-
cient volumetric solar irradiance absorptance.
In order to calculate the spectral extinction coefficients of the
nanofluid, it is necessary to know the optical constants of both the
nanoparticle (aluminium) as well as the base-fluid (Therminol
VP-1). Whereas the optical constants for aluminium in the wave-
length range of interest (0:1lm  30lm) are available in the liter-
ature [34], only limited data are available for Therminol VP-1.
Optical constants for Therminol VP-1 in the spectral band of
k < 2lm (which is also the spectral range in which most of the
solar irradiance is incident) are available in the literature [9,35]
and for the spectral band k > 2lm (which constitutes the re-
emission from the nanofluid), the nanofluid as a whole has been
assumed to be fully absorptive [29]. Figure 5 illustrates the effect
of adding nanoparticles into the base-fluid on the extinction coeffi-
cients of the resulting nanofluid. Basically, the attenuation repre-
sents the energy generation term in the generalized energy
balance equation. The simplified energy equation can be mathe-
matically represented as
Fig. 5 Spectral extinction coefficient of the Therminol VP-
1(data points taken from Ref. [9,35]) and the nanofluid. The sym-
bols used in the plots are as follows: ( ) Therminol VP-1 and
( ) nanofluid (Therminol VP-1 1 0.05% Al nanoparticles).
 
1@ @T @ ðr qrad Þ @T
kr  ¼ qcp U (5)
r @r @r r@r @x
where q is the density of the nanofluid, cp is the specific heat, U is
the fluid velocity, k is the thermal conductivity, and qrad is the
radiative heat flux defined by Eq. (6) as
ðð
qrad ¼ Ik;/ d/dk (6)
As the present analysis is for concentrating collectors, therefore, it
is imperative to consider emission losses in the heat transfer
model. The heat transfer mechanism within the nanofluid has been
approximated as coupled conduction-radiative heat transfer in
absorbing, emitting, and scattering medium with convective and
radiative losses at the boundaries. Temperature distribution within
the nanofluid has been calculated by taking into consideration the
simultaneous absorption and emission by the nanofluid.
2.4 Calculation of Performance Indicators. Once the tem-
perature distribution is known in both the spatial coordinates (i.e.,
radially as well as along the length) the next step is to assess the
performance of the NCPSC. For this purpose, optical and thermal
efficiencies have been defined and also thermal and optical losses
have been calculated. In order to define optical efficiency, first of
all, the solar radiant energy flux which is able to reach the nano-
fluid (Gnf ) needs to be calculated; this is given by Eq. (7) as
Gnf ¼ Cqicl Ki senv sgt Gaper (7)
where C is the geometric concentration ratio defined as the ratio
of the aperture area to the receiver area [17] and is mathematically
given by Eq. (8) as
Aaper
C¼ (8)
Arec
where qicl is the reflectance of the clean mirrors, senv and sgt are the
transmittances of the glass envelope and tube, respectively, Gaper is
the direct normal incident solar irradiance (at the aperture), and Ki
is the incident angle modifier [16] given by Eq. (9) as
Ki ¼ cos h þ 0:000884h þ 0:0005369h2 (9)
where h is the incident angle (in degrees), i.e., the angle which the
incident solar irradiance makes with the normal to the aperture

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 area. Therefore, the fraction of solar irradiance intensity reaching
the nanofluid is defined by the optical efficiency (gopt ) given by
Eq. (10) as
Gnf
gopt ¼ (10)
CGaper
The thermal efficiency of the NCPSC is defined as the ratio of
sensible heat gain by the working fluid (nanofluid) to the normal
solar radiant energy incident on the aperture.
qcp ðTout  Tin Þ
gth ¼ (11)
CGaper
where q and cp are the density and specific heat of the nanofluid,
respectively, and Tout and Tin are the mean outlet and inlet nano-
fluid temperatures, respectively.
3 Numerical Modeling
Finite difference technique has been applied to numerically
solve the heat transfer equations [36]. The entire participating me-
dium has been discretized into a finite number of thin concentric
radial elements as shown in Fig. 6. Each element is characterized
by a uniform constant temperature represented by a finite value at
its centre (node). The energy interaction in the form of heat has
been approximated as two-dimensional and steady. An energy bal-
ance was applied to each element; also, boundary conditions have
been imposed (on boundary nodes) to obtain the temperature field
which was then used to calculate the thermal efficiency of the
collector.
Spatially, the receiver of radius 35 mm has been discretized
radially. The number of nodes along the radial direction has been
taken equal to 50. The analysis has been carried out for various
fluid velocities (depending on the mass flow rates). In the current
model, the node size was chosen such that the percentage compu-
tational error reduced to approximately 0.09% and subsequently,
the model gave convergent and stable solutions. As stated earlier,
the incident solar irradiance has been approximated to be spec-
trally distributed within a wavelength band of 0:1 lm  3 lm and
also the radiant energy emitted by the nanofluid has been approxi-
mated to lie between 1 lm  30 lm. The values of the temperature
of the fluid entering the collector (Tin ) and the ambient tempera-
ture (Tamb ) are given in Sec. 4.1. Convective heat transfer coeffi-
Fig. 6 Discretization of the participating medium with finite
difference nodes in radial coordinates
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Table 3 Values of various input parameters for calculation of
thermal efficiency and heat losses (for both the conventional
parabolic solar collector and the NCPSC) [16]
:
Gaper (W m2) Tamb (  C) Tin (  C) 3 1
V (m s )
807.1 15.8 18.34 0.307  103
933.7 21.2 102.2 0.795  103
968.2 22.4 151 0.797  103
982.3 24.3 197.5 0.818  103
909.5 26.2 250.7 0.912  103
cient (hconv ) in the annulus region (filled with low pressure air,
i.e., near vacuum conditions) has been taken equal to 0.000115
Wm2 K1 [37]. Also, the temperature of the low pressure air/
vacuum has been approximated as equal to ambient air
temperature.
4 Results and Discussion
4.1 Comparison of Results. A code has been written in MAT-
LAB to implement the theoretical formulation. Various operating
parameters and geometrical dimensions were chosen in accord-
ance with those available for conventional parabolic trough (ex-
perimental results for Syltherm 800, silicon-based heat transfer
fluid) in the literature [16]. Table 3 details the various operating
parameters used in the model for the evaluation of thermal effi-
ciency, and optical and thermal losses. Additionally, in order to
clearly ascertain the effect of adding nanoparticles to the base-
fluid, the case of a collector which is exactly the same as the
NCPSC but uses conventional heat transfer fluids such as Thermi-
nol VP-1 has been studied. For convenience, this has been termed
as base-fluid based concentrating parabolic solar collector
(BCPSC).
Figure 7 outlines the typical losses (per unit aperture area) in
the three (the conventional trough, the BCPSC and the NCPSC)
types of collectors. It is apparent from the plots that the NCPSC
has relatively higher thermal losses (see Fig. 7(b)) than the other
two types of solar parabolic trough collectors. However, due to
very high optical losses (see Fig. 7(a)) in the case of BCPSC (as it
allows most of the solar radiant energy to pass through) and the
conventional parabolic collectors, the total losses (see Fig. 7(c))
from these collectors are relatively higher than that for NCPSC.
The calculated radiative losses from the NCPSC as well as the
BCPSC are expected to be overestimated as it has been assumed
that all the radiant energy emitted by the nanofluid/Therminol VP-1
is able to escape through the glass tubes irrespective of the wave-
length of the emitted radiation, i.e., the transmissivity of the glass
tubes is 1 for the emitted radiations. Comparison of thermal effi-
ciency for the three collectors is shown in the Fig. 8. The observa-
tion which can be unequivocally concluded from Fig. 8 is that
there is a definite improvement in terms of thermal efficiency in
the case of the NCPSC. BCPSC due to its low thermal efficiency
does not warrant further consideration, and therefore, from this
point onward, the analysis is restricted to the other two types of
collectors (conventional parabolic trough and the NCPSC).
Furthermore, it is apparent from Fig. 8 that the maximum
improvement in thermal efficiency is for low values of fluid tem-
perature and the gap between the two narrows down with increase
in operating fluid temperatures. This observation can be attributed
to the fact that at higher average fluid temperatures the total losses
for the two collectors tend to converge as the effect of thermal
losses becomes predominant.
Next, the effect of incident angle on the performance of the two
collectors was evaluated. For this purpose, the parameters tabu-
lated in Table 4 were used for calculating thermal efficiency for
different values of incident angle.
These calculated thermal efficiency values are plotted for the
two collectors as shown in Fig. 9. The inlet fluid temperatures and
AUGUST 2012, Vol. 3 / 031003-5
 Fig. 8 Comparison of thermal efficiency as a function of aver-
age fluid temperature above ambient for BCPSC, NCPSC, and
the conventional linear parabolic solar collectors (data points
for the conventional linear parabolic solar collector have been
taken from Ref. [16]). The symbols used in the plots are as fol-
lows: ( ) nanofluid-based volumetric receiver with vacuum
in the annulus; ( ) basefluid-based volumetric re-
ceiver with vacuum in the annulus and () Dudley et al. [16]
(Cermet receiver with vacuum in the annulus).

Table 4 Values of various input parameters for calculation of

thermal efficiency as a function of incident angle [16]
:
Incident angle (deg) Gaper (W m2) Tamb (  C) Tin (  C) 3 1
V (m s )

0.00 850.3 4.0 14.8 0.342  103

4.53 856.9 3.6 14.7 0.342  103
9.52 868.8 3.0 14.5 0.342  103
19.53 833.1 2.8 14.4 0.342  103
40.60 852.3 2.3 13.8 0.343  103
48.00 836.0 1.9 13.9 0.350  103
59.50 811.4 1.8 13.8 0.358  103

Fig. 7 Comparison of (a) optical loss, (b) thermal loss, and (c)
total loss as a function of average fluid temperature above ambi-
ent for BCPSC, NCPSC, and the conventional linear parabolic so-
lar collectors (data points for the conventional linear parabolic
solar collector have been taken from Ref. [16]). The symbols
used in the plots are as follows: ( ) nanofluid-based volu-
metric receiver with vacuum in the annulus; ( ) basefluid-
based volumetric receiver with vacuum in the annulus and ()
Dudley et al. [16] (Cermet receiver with vacuum in the annulus).
flow rates being not very high (resulting in negligible thermal
losses) the observed higher thermal efficiency of NCPSC can be
attributed to higher sensible heat gain (owing to higher optical ef-
ficiency) relative to a conventional parabolic trough.
4.2 Some Parametric Studies. Now that it has been
observed that as compared to a conventional parabolic trough the
NCPSC performs better (at least theoretically) under similar
Fig. 9 Comparison of thermal efficiencies as a function of inci-
dent angle for NCPSC and the conventional linear parabolic so-
lar collectors (data points for the conventional linear parabolic
solar collector have been taken from Ref. [16]). The symbols
used in the plots are as follows: ( ) nanofluid-based re-
ceiver with vacuum in the annulus and ( ) Dudley et al. [16]
(black chrome selective coating with vacuum in the annulus).
operating conditions, the next step is to investigate the effects of
various operating parameters on the performance indicators of the
collector. The intent here is restricted to an investigative paramet-
ric study only and a detailed optimization of various operating pa-
rameters is not attempted in the current study. This section
presents the effect of parameters namely normal solar irradiance,

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 near future) in order to transform this novel concept of harvesting
solar radiant energy into a commercial reality.

Acknowledgment
The authors based in India (V.K. and H.T.) wish to acknowl-
edge the support provided by the School of Mechanical, Materials
and Energy Engineering at IIT Ropar. The U.S.-based authors
(T.P.O. and P.E.P.) gratefully acknowledge support provided by
the U.S. National Science Foundation through Grant Nos. CBET-
0932720 and CBET-1066705. R.A.T wishes to acknowledge the
UNSW ECR program and ASI (2011-14).

Nomenclature
A¼ area, m2
C¼ geometric concentration ratio
co ¼ speed of light in vacuum, co ¼ 2.9979  108 ms1
cp ¼ specific heat, J kg1 K1
D¼ mean particle diameter, D ¼ 5  109 m (¼5 nm)
dx ¼ thickness of spatial node along x-direction, m
dr ¼ length of radial spatial node, dr ¼ 7.14  104 m
dk ¼ spectral interval, dk ¼ 0.1 lm
fv ¼ particle volume fraction, fv ¼ 0.0005 (0.05%)
G¼ incident solar flux, W m2
h¼ Planck constant, h ¼ 6.6256  1034 Js
hconv ¼ convective heat transfer coefficient, W m2 K1
I¼ intensity, W m2 str1 lm1
K¼ radiative coefficients, m1
Ki ¼ incident angle modifier
k¼ thermal conductivity, W m1 K1
kB ¼ Boltzmann constant, kB ¼ 1.38  1023 J K1
L¼ length of the linear receiver, L ¼ 8 m
Fig. 12 Effect of solar irradiance on (a) thermal efficiency and
(b) thermal losses in the case of NCPSC m¼ normalized refractive index
q¼ heat flux, W m2
r¼ radius of the linear receiver, r ¼ 35 mm
T¼ temperature,  C
Tsun ¼ surface temperature of the sun, Tsun ¼ 5800 K
U: ¼ fluid velocity, m s1
V¼ volume flow rate, m3 s1
x¼ distance along the axial direction, m

Greek Symbols
a¼ size parameter (¼pD=k)
g¼ collector efficiency, %
h¼ incident angle, deg
k¼ wavelength, lm
q¼ density, kg m3
qi ¼ reflectance
s¼ transmissivity, s ¼ 0.95
u¼ solid angle, str
Fig. 13 Thermal efficiency as a function of thermal diffusivity
of Therminol VP-1
Subscripts
a¼ absorption
independence approximation of the thermophysical properties of amb ¼ ambient
Therminol VP-1 (and hence the nanofluid). annu ¼ annulus
aper ¼ aperture
b¼ blackbody
bf ¼ base-fluid
5 Conclusion cl ¼ clean mirror
The theoretical results indicate that the nanofluid-based concen- conv ¼ convection
trating parabolic solar collector has the potential to harness solar e¼ extinction
radiant energy more efficiently as compared to a conventional par- env ¼ envelope
abolic trough. Furthermore, nanoparticle shape, size, and material gt ¼ glass tube
need to be optimized in order to get the desired output in terms of in ¼ inlet
thermal efficiency and maximum outlet fluid temperatures. nf ¼ nanofluid
Finally, the current mathematical analysis needs to be substanti- np ¼ nanoparticles
ated with experimentation (which the authors intend to do in the opt ¼ optical

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 near future) in order to transform this novel concept of harvesting
solar radiant energy into a commercial reality.

Acknowledgment
The authors based in India (V.K. and H.T.) wish to acknowl-
edge the support provided by the School of Mechanical, Materials
and Energy Engineering at IIT Ropar. The U.S.-based authors
(T.P.O. and P.E.P.) gratefully acknowledge support provided by
the U.S. National Science Foundation through Grant Nos. CBET-
0932720 and CBET-1066705. R.A.T wishes to acknowledge the
UNSW ECR program and ASI (2011-14).

Nomenclature
A¼ area, m2
C¼ geometric concentration ratio
co ¼ speed of light in vacuum, co ¼ 2.9979  108 ms1
cp ¼ specific heat, J kg1 K1
D¼ mean particle diameter, D ¼ 5  109 m (¼5 nm)
dx ¼ thickness of spatial node along x-direction, m
dr ¼ length of radial spatial node, dr ¼ 7.14  104 m
dk ¼ spectral interval, dk ¼ 0.1 lm
fv ¼ particle volume fraction, fv ¼ 0.0005 (0.05%)
G¼ incident solar flux, W m2
h¼ Planck constant, h ¼ 6.6256  1034 Js
hconv ¼ convective heat transfer coefficient, W m2 K1
I¼ intensity, W m2 str1 lm1
K¼ radiative coefficients, m1
Ki ¼ incident angle modifier
k¼ thermal conductivity, W m1 K1
kB ¼ Boltzmann constant, kB ¼ 1.38  1023 J K1
L¼ length of the linear receiver, L ¼ 8 m
Fig. 12 Effect of solar irradiance on (a) thermal efficiency and
(b) thermal losses in the case of NCPSC m¼ normalized refractive index
q¼ heat flux, W m2
r¼ radius of the linear receiver, r ¼ 35 mm
T¼ temperature,  C
Tsun ¼ surface temperature of the sun, Tsun ¼ 5800 K
U: ¼ fluid velocity, m s1
V¼ volume flow rate, m3 s1
x¼ distance along the axial direction, m

Greek Symbols
a¼ size parameter (¼pD=k)
g¼ collector efficiency, %
h¼ incident angle, deg
k¼ wavelength, lm
q¼ density, kg m3
qi ¼ reflectance
s¼ transmissivity, s ¼ 0.95
u¼ solid angle, str
Fig. 13 Thermal efficiency as a function of thermal diffusivity
of Therminol VP-1
Subscripts
a¼ absorption
independence approximation of the thermophysical properties of amb ¼ ambient
Therminol VP-1 (and hence the nanofluid). annu ¼ annulus
aper ¼ aperture
b¼ blackbody
bf ¼ base-fluid
5 Conclusion cl ¼ clean mirror
The theoretical results indicate that the nanofluid-based concen- conv ¼ convection
trating parabolic solar collector has the potential to harness solar e¼ extinction
radiant energy more efficiently as compared to a conventional par- env ¼ envelope
abolic trough. Furthermore, nanoparticle shape, size, and material gt ¼ glass tube
need to be optimized in order to get the desired output in terms of in ¼ inlet
thermal efficiency and maximum outlet fluid temperatures. nf ¼ nanofluid
Finally, the current mathematical analysis needs to be substanti- np ¼ nanoparticles
ated with experimentation (which the authors intend to do in the opt ¼ optical

031003-8 / Vol. 3, AUGUST 2012 Transactions of the ASME

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 out ¼ outlet
rad ¼ radiative
rec ¼ receiver
s¼ scattering
k¼ spectral
th ¼ thermal
Abbreviations
BCPSC ¼ base-fluid based concentrating parabolic solar collector
HCE ¼ heat collector element
NCPSC ¼ nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar collector
RTE ¼ radiative transfer equation
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