Heat transfer enhancement in a parabolic trough solar receiver using longitudinal fins and nanofluids

© 2016, Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. In this paper, we present a three dimensional numerical investigation of heat transfer in a parabolic trough collector receiver with longitudinal fins using different kinds of nanofluid, with an operational temperature of 573 K and nanoparticle concentration of 1% in volume. The outer surface of the absorber receives a non-uniform heat flux, which is obtained by using the Monte Carlo ray tracing technique. The numerical results are contrasted with empirical results available in the open literature. A significant improvement of heat transfer is derived when the Reynolds number varies in the range 2.57×104 ¿ Re ¿ 2.57×105, the tube-side Nusselt number increases from 1.3 to 1.8 times, also the metallic nanoparticles improve heat transfer greatly than other nanoparticles, combining both mechanisms provides better heat transfer and higher thermo-hydraulic performance.