A Stable Carbon Nanotube Nanofluid for Latent Heat-Driven Volumetric Absorption Solar Heating Applications
Recently, direct solar collection through the use of broadly absorbing nanoparticle suspensions (known as nanofluids) has been shown as a promising method to improve efficiencies in solar thermal devices. By utilizing a volatile base fluid, this concept could also be applied to the development of a...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Hindawi Limited
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Nanomaterials |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/850217 |
| Summary: | Recently, direct solar collection through the use of broadly absorbing nanoparticle suspensions (known as nanofluids) has been shown as a promising method to improve efficiencies in solar thermal devices. By utilizing a volatile base fluid, this concept could also be applied to the development of a direct absorption heat pipe for an evacuated tube solar collector. However, for this to happen or for any other light-induced vapor production applications, the nanofluid must remain stable over extended periods of time at high temperatures and throughout repetitive evaporation/condensation cycles. In this work, we report for the first time a nanofluid consisting of plasma-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) suspended in denatured alcohol, which achieves this required stability. In addition, optical characterization of the nanofluid demonstrates that close to 100% of solar irradiation can be absorbed over a relatively small nanofluid thickness. |
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| ISSN: | 1687-4110 1687-4129 |