Porous carbon nanoparticles for flat plate solar collectors: A thermal, economic and environmental investigation

Porous nanomaterials have emerged as potential materials for various structural and energy applications. In this study porous carbon nanomaterials were synthesized and investigated for their thermal effectiveness in flat plate solar collectors (FPSCs). Synthesis process of porous carbon nanoparticles (PCNPs) was curated for minimal environmental impact. Positive effect of concentration of nanoparticles, flow rates and heat flux intensities on thermal performance of FPSC were observed. An increase in FR(tau alpha) for porous carbon nanofluids (PCNFs) at different concentrations compared to the base fluid was approximately 7.68 %, 16.31 %, and 29.23 % at 1.4 L/ min. Also, the highest efficiency enhancement observed was 16.84 % at 0.15 wt% of PCNFs compared to based fluid. Maximum size reduction of 28.5 % for FPSC was achieved at 1.1 L/min. In addition, the pressure drop was observed to increase slightly with concentration. Moreover, the environmental analysis demonstrated that utilization of PCNFs reduces around 260 kg of CO2 emissions and other hazardous gases.