Nanoparticle enhanced ionic liquids (NEILS) as working fluid for the next generation solar collector

Next generation solar thermal collector requires working fluid with high heat storage capacity as well as high temperature thermal stability to reduce its operating cost. Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered as a potential working fluid for next generation solar collector due to suitable thermophysical properties. However, Nanoparticle Enhanced Ionic Liquids (NEILs), a class of nanofluids, can further enhance the thermophysical properties of ILs. In this study, an experimental assessment on Wits was performed by measuring thermophysical property and evaluating forced convection performance. Experimental results show clear advantages of the NEILs over the base ILs both in heat storage capacity and heat transfer performance. Up to 6% enhancement in thermal conductivity, 23% enhancement in heat capacity, and 20% enhancement in convective heat transfer performance has been observed for the 1% (Weight%) aluminium oxide (Al2O3) enhanced ILs compared to the base ILs. Our current study lays the foundation for future studies to explore further investigation to evaluate NEILs as a potential working fluid for the next generation solar collectors. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.