Improving the thermal performance of flat-plate solar collectors for building applications through hybrid nanofluids and vortex-inducing geometries

This study presents a numerical investigation of the thermal-hydraulic performance and entropy generation characteristics of a flat plate solar collector enhanced by a novel hybrid nanofluid (GO-SiO 2 /Therminol VP-1) and an innovative vortex generator (VG) configuration. The effects of the Reynolds number ( =19,000–76,000), hybrid nanofluid volume concentration ( =0–3.25%), and VG geometric configuration ( =0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°) on the absorber tube’s performance are systematically analyzed. The turbulent flow is simulated using the k-ε turbulence model, while the two-phase mixture approach is employed to accurately model the nanofluid behavior. The use of a new type and shape of VG in the studied geometry and the application of the two-phase mixture model to more accurately model the behavior of nanofluids are among the innovations of this study.The results indicated that increasing enhances heat transfer by generating stronger vortices, leading to up to a 107.4% improvement in the average Nusselt number compared to the base fluid without a VG. Entropy generation analysis revealed that while thermal entropy generation decreases by up to 9.54% with an increase in , frictional entropy generation increases by 11.28%, emphasizing the trade-off between heat transfer augmentation and flow resistance. Among all tested configurations, =45° and a 3.25% nanofluid concentration yield the highest performance evaluation criterion, demonstrating the best balance between heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop.

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