The Al-Musayyib Technical College, one of the formations of Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University, witnessed the discussion of a master’s thesis submitted by the researcher Rabab Adel Jawad from the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering Technologies, entitled:
“Enhancing the Performance of a Double-Pass Solar Air Heater Using Nanomaterials.”
The study aimed to improve the thermal performance of a double-pass solar air heater by employing nanomaterials added to the absorber surface. Three air velocities (2.5, 3.5, and 5 m/s) were tested. Additionally, three concentrations of the nanomaterial copper oxide (CuO) (1%, 3%, and 5%) were experimentally applied. The 3% concentration was selected as the optimal ratio and subsequently applied to other nanomaterials, namely aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂).
Furthermore, numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS (2022 version) to compare the theoretical and experimental results.
The findings of the study demonstrated that the addition of copper oxide nanoparticles had a significant effect on improving the thermal performance of the double-pass solar air heater. The results indicated that the best thermal performance and the highest heater efficiency were achieved when using a 3% concentration of copper oxide. Under this condition, the highest efficiency reached 60.2%, while the maximum temperature difference recorded was 22.5°C. This concentration provided an appropriate balance between enhanced heat transfer and the stability of the material’s thermal properties, resulting in a higher outlet air temperature and improved thermal efficiency compared with the other concentrations (1% and 5%).
In her study, the researcher recommended the use of multilayer nanomaterials such as graphene combined with copper oxide in order to increase solar radiation absorption and reduce thermal losses. She also suggested integrating phase change materials (PCM) or hybrid materials with high thermal conductivity to enhance thermal energy storage and accelerate the thermal discharge process.
