%0 Journal Article 
%A Carrillo Berdugo, Iván
%A Estellé, Patrice
%A Sani, Elisa
%A Mercatelli, Luca
%A Grau Crespo, Ricardo
%A Zorrilla Cuenca, David
%A Navas Pineda, Francisco Javier
%T Optical and transport properties of metal-oil nanofluids for thermal solar industry: experimental characterisation, performance assessment and molecular dynamics insights
%D 2021
%@ 2168-0485
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/30305
%X Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology can become a very valuable contributor to the transformation and decarbonization of our energy landscape, but for this technology to overcome the barrier toward market deployment, significant enhancements in the solar-to-thermal-to-electric energy conversión efficiency are needed. Here, an in-depth experimental analysis of the optical and transport properties of Pd-containing aromatic oil-based nanofluids is presented, with promising results for their prospective use as volumetric absorbers and heat transfer fluids in next-generation parabolic-trough CSP plants. A 0.030 wt % concentration of Pd nanoplates increases sunlight extinction by 90% after 20 mm propagation length and thermal conductivity by 23.5% at 373 K, which is enough to increase the overall system efficiency up to 45.3% and to reduce pumping requirements by 20%, with minimum increases in the collector length. In addition to that, molecular dynamics simulations are used to gain atomistic-level insights about the heat and momentum transfer in these nanofluids, with a focus on the role played by the solid−liquid interface in these phenomena. Molecules chemisorbed at the interface behave as a shelter-like boundary that hinders heat conduction, as a high thermal resistance path, and minimizes the impact of the solid on dynamic viscosity, as it weakens the interactions between the nanoplate and the surrounding nonadsorbed fluid molecules.
%K nanofluids
%K concentrated solar power
%K thermal performance
%K molecular dynamics
%K sunlight extinction
%~ Universidad de Cádiz