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Solar Absorption Capacity of Zinc Oxide Nanofluids


Affiliations
1 Department of Physics, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
2 Department of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Anna University, Coimbatore 641 046, India
3 Department of Chemistry, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
4 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
5 National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Madras, Chennai 600 005, India
 

Nanofluids have been studied since 1995 for their enormous thermal conductivity enhancement. Applications of nanofluids include electronic, automobile and nuclear reactor cooling. Nanofluids have also been explored as potential fluids for direct absorption solar collectors. In the present work, zinc oxide nanofluid (ZnO) has been synthesized by a two-step process without any surfactant. ZnO nanoparticles are characterized by XRD and SEM to reveal ZnO nanorods with average diameter and length of 50-500 nm. The stability of the nanofluid has been studied by zeta potential measurement for 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 wt%. ZnO/water nanofluid showed good solar absorption (12.2%) and can act as better solar absorbers like Ag nanofluids.

Keywords

Direct Absorption Solar Collector, Nanofluid, Solar Absorption, ZnO.
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  • Solar Absorption Capacity of Zinc Oxide Nanofluids

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Authors

Alagappan Subramaniyan
Department of Physics, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
Rajasekar Krishnan
Department of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Anna University, Coimbatore 641 046, India
S. Sivailango
Department of Chemistry, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
S. Kamala Thiagarajan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
B. Rajasekar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
T. Sorna Kumar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai 625 015, India
Rajangam Ilangovan
National Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Madras, Chennai 600 005, India

Abstract


Nanofluids have been studied since 1995 for their enormous thermal conductivity enhancement. Applications of nanofluids include electronic, automobile and nuclear reactor cooling. Nanofluids have also been explored as potential fluids for direct absorption solar collectors. In the present work, zinc oxide nanofluid (ZnO) has been synthesized by a two-step process without any surfactant. ZnO nanoparticles are characterized by XRD and SEM to reveal ZnO nanorods with average diameter and length of 50-500 nm. The stability of the nanofluid has been studied by zeta potential measurement for 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 wt%. ZnO/water nanofluid showed good solar absorption (12.2%) and can act as better solar absorbers like Ag nanofluids.

Keywords


Direct Absorption Solar Collector, Nanofluid, Solar Absorption, ZnO.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv111%2Fi10%2F1664-1668