Doping solar field heat transfer fluid with nano-particles

A previously-developed model of a concentrating solar power plant has been modified to accommodate doping the heat transfer fluid with nano-particles. The model with its unalloyed heat transfer fluid has been validated with actual operating data beforehand. The thermo-physical properties of the heat transfer fluid were modified to account for the nano-particle doping. The nano-particle content in the heat transfer fluid was then varied to evaluate its influence on solar power generation. The model was run to simulate plant operation on four different days representing the four different seasons. As the nano-particle concentration was increased, heat losses were slightly reduced, transient warm up heat was increased, transient cool down heat was reduced, and the overall impact on power generation was trivial. Doping heat transfer fluids with nano-particles does not seem promising for solar thermal power generation from a performance perspective. Moreover, doping heat transfer fluids with nano-particles involves many other operational challenges such as sedimentation and abrasion.