Nanofluids in Flat Plate Solar Collectors

The exhaustion of fossil fuels, which are rare in nature, has expanded unprecedentedly due to rising energy demands worldwide. Concerningly, this has caused environmental deterioration and global warming. In the past ten years, the renewable energy sector has grown due to several factors. Solar energy is the most often used renewable energy source due to its accessibility and minimal environmental impact. Although solar collectors are the most common, they are less effective (low capability to convert solar energy to thermal energy). Thermal conductivity and other thermophysical parameters are improved when using nanofluid (fluid made by combining nanoparticles with base fluid). One efficient technique to improve solar collectors' performance is employing nanofluid on flat plate solar collectors (FPSC). Much work has been done in this area as a result of the development of nanotechnology and the increased emphasis on improving the performance of solar devices. This book chapter aims to give an outline of the numerous studies on the use of nanofluids in solar thermal systems. This chapter outlines the ideal working situation as well as the impact of numerous aspects. This chapter also indicates the likely difficulties we might encounter when creating thermal collectors utilizing nanofluids, highlighting potential areas for future study.