Computational heat transfer analysis of solar based energy systems via employment of numerical calculations and finite volume scheme
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Comparative Study of Simulation of Temperature Rise in Ring Main Unit
Published on: July 5, 2024
Ammar A Melaibari1, Nidal H Abu-Hamdeh2, Khalid H Almitani1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract:
Advanced nanoparticles-based systems can improve the heat transfer of the base fluids. Here, a Computational Fluid Dynamics approach is implemented to study the impact of hybrid nanofluid utilisation on the thermal performance of a parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) with an internal axial helical fin. Our numerical results revealed that as hybrid nanoparticles of SWCNT and Cu were added into Therminol®VP-1 as the base fluid, the thermal performance of the PTSC was improved. Indeed, the combination of axial twisted fin with hybrid nanoparticles with enhanced heat transfer properties increased the thermal mixing of the fluid. As an example, at Re = 4000, increasing the volume fractions of Cu and SWCNT nanoparticles from 0.01 to 0.02 resulted in a 0.74% enhancement in the thermal efficiency of the PTSC.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant heat.
Heat Flow and Specific Heat
Mechanism of heat transfer
Conduction, Convection and Radiation: Problem Solving
In order to solve a problem related to heat transfer, first of all, the situation needs to be examined to determine the type of heat transfer involved. This could...

