THERMAL AND FLOW ANALYSIS OF A PARABOLIC TROUGH COLLECTOR USING CFD WITH NANOFLUIDS

P. Ram Prasad; Penumaka Siva Sankari; Yarramneedi Vinayaka; Palacharla Ganga Raju; Pokala Uma Krishna

doi:10.62651/

Authors

P. Ram Prasad Author
Penumaka Siva Sankari Author
Yarramneedi Vinayaka Author
Palacharla Ganga Raju Author
Pokala Uma Krishna Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62651/

Keywords:

Parabolic Trough Collector, Nanofluids, CFD,, ANSYS Fluent,, Solar Load Model,, Heat Transfer Enhancement

Abstract

Parabolic Trough Collectors (PTCs) represent one of the most mature and commercially deployed
technologies in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems. The thermal performance of PTC
systems strongly depends on the thermophysical properties of the working fluid circulating inside
the absorber tube. Conventional heat transfer fluids such as water exhibit limited thermal
conductivity, which restricts system efficiency. To overcome this limitation, nanofluids have
emerged as promising advanced heat transfer media.
This study presents a comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of a parabolic
trough collector using ANSYS Fluent. Water-based nanofluids containing CuO, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, and
SiO₂ nanoparticles at 0.2 volumetric concentration were investigated. The finite volume method
was used to solve the governing continuity, momentum, and energy equations under steady-state
conditions. Solar radiation effects were modeled using the Solar Load Model combined with the
Surface-to-Surface (S2S) radiation model.