03Performance Assessment of Flat Plate Solar Collector Using Different Nanofluids

Abstract

T he need for renewable energy is gradually been recognized and accepted globally due to the threats the world is facing such as the increase in world population, climate change, fossil fuels price inflation and high cost of electricity. These threats have led to the discovery and development of new, clean and abundant alternative sources of energy called renewable energies. Among these alternative sources of energy includes solar, wind and hydropower.Solar energy is a free, abundant and natural heat from the sun that is harnessed by solar collection method. It is the common alternative source of energy used today. It can be utilized directly in two forms: either to generate electricity by exposing a photovoltaic material to sunlight or to generate heat for heating or cooling system. For the heating system, the sun's radiation in the form of heat energy is transferred to a working fluid such as the air, water or oil. Use of solar energy for water heating is the most common and easiest application with the use of a solar collector with a flat plate been the most productive type [1]. Enhancing the heat transfer, by maximizing solar absorption and reducing the losses leads to improved efficiency and better performance. In addition, the use of nanofluids is another way for enhancing the performance of the collector. Sharafeldin et al.[2] conducted an experiment to study the effect of using CeO 2 with three different volume fractions (0.0167%,