Advanced Modeling of Nanofluid-Based Solar Receivers in the Concentrated Solar Power Trough to Enhance the Heat Absorptivity

Nanofluids utilized as volumetric absorbers of solar energy have shown significant potential to enhance solar energy absorption and storage. The majority of numerical models currently employed to design and optimize the nanofluid-based solar receiver and storage systems involved assumptions and simplifications that can adversely impact performance prediction. Due to the inherent complexity of nanofluid systems, including interactions between the optical and thermo-physical properties of each phase, the development and optimization of solar energy absorption and storage systems in nanofluid-based receivers require advanced use mathematical–physical models for more effective design and optimization. This study aims to assess the impact of these critical assumptions on predicting thermal absorption and thermal energy storage capacity for such systems and developing accurate predictive modeling to aid the design and optimization of such systems. The results presented in this paper will assist in creating accurate mathematical models of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) using nanofluids, and therefore enhance its thermal absorptivity and storage capacity.