Assessment of energy and economic advantages by proposing nanofluid based direct absorption in solar collectors for India

Use of solar energy for domestic and industrial water heating applications is gaining popularity due to rising cost of fossil fuels and also towards reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The thermophysical and optical properties of conventional working fluids limit the heat transfer efficiency of solar collector water heating systems. The nanofluid based flat plate solar collector water heating systems improve the performance that not only increases the efficiency, but also results into increased saving of fossil fuel energy. For a given collector area, extra solar energy that can be captured is estimated and resulting emission reduction through saving of fossil fuel consumption has been estimated for the country. Results of detailed sensitivity studies show that nano-material cost, type and volume fraction has predominant effect on the enhanced efficiency of nanofluid based water heating system, life cycle net benefits and payback period by replacing different conventional fuel for water heating system.