Single-phase and two-phase models of a hybrid nanofluid traveling through a non-uniformly heated (PTC) receiver: A comparative study

The current study used single and two-phase modeling to numerically explore three-dimensional the turbulent forced convection of a hybrid nanofluid passing through a non-uniformly heated parabolic trough solar collector (PTC) for increasing heat transfer. The typical heat flux profile on the receiver’s absorber outer wall was addressed by a finite volume method (FVM) and the MCRT method. The results demonstrated that the single and two-phase models produced almost similar hydrodynamic results but dissimilar thermal ones. It was found that the results of mixture model matched the experimental ones. The results also illustrated that the hybrid nanofluid gives the highest thermal performance for a mixture composed of 1.5% copper + 0.5% alumina dispersed in the water.