Evaluation of solar energy absorption and photo-thermal conversion performance of SiC/ITO hybrid nanofluid

Abstract

In this study, silicon carbide/indium-tin-oxide (SiC/ITO) hybrid nanofluids were synthesized, and their solar energy absorption and photo-thermal conversion performance were experimentally investigated. Furthermore, to determine the optimal mixing ratio of the SiC and ITO nanofluids, the solar energy absorption ratio based on their optical transmittance was calculated at various mixing ratios. As a result, the optimal SiC/ITO hybrid nanofluid presented lower optical transmittance than the single nanofluids and showed a higher solar energy absorption ratio over a wide optical wavelength range. In addition, it presented a higher saturation temperature point compared to single nanofluids. The SiC/ITO hybrid nanofluids with a broadband light absorption spectrum had higher saturation temperature points and photo-thermal conversion efficiency than the SiC nanofluid at all mixing ratios. At the SiC:ITO mixing ratio of 8:2, the photo-thermal efficiency of the hybrid nanofluid was maximum, reaching 34.1%, which was 38.7% higher than that of the SiC nanofluid. This study can provide effective solar heat harvesting technologies in various applications to solve the critical energy shortage problem.

Keywords

• SiC/ITO hybrid Nanofluid
• Optical transmittance
• Photo-thermal conversion efficiency (PTCE)
• Solar energy absorption
• ITO nanofluid