Thermal Management of Solar Cells Using Nanofluid Coolants

Surface-functionalized graphene particles improve heat transfer fluid performance by enhancing heat absorption and reducing heat loss. The particles, with oxygen-based functional groups covalently bonded to their surface, achieve superior dispersibility in water while retaining high thermal conductivity. The functionalized graphene particles can be dispersed in a base fluid to form a stable dispersion, enabling their use in heat transfer fluids for heating and cooling applications.

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Nanofluids comprising nanoparticles derived from coffee, enabling direct absorption solar collectors (DASCs) with enhanced thermal efficiency. The nanofluids are produced through a novel sonication process that produces nanoparticles with size distributions primarily in the 1-10 pm range. These nanoparticles exhibit superior absorption characteristics compared to conventional materials, with enhanced solar absorption properties and stability. The DASC design incorporates a transparent plate and sealed channels, achieving optimal thermal performance while minimizing environmental impact. The nanofluid can be used as a direct absorption solar collector or as a heat transfer fluid, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional collectors.

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Nanofluid for heat transfer applications that combines the benefits of nanoscale particles with a stable suspension. The nanofluid comprises a base fluid, dispersant, stabilizing agent, aluminum oxide nanoparticles, and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets. The solid phase is a bicomponent mixture of aluminum oxide nanoparticles and exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets, which exhibits superior heat transfer properties compared to single-component nanoparticles. The nanofluid achieves enhanced thermal performance through its unique solid phase architecture, which maintains suspension stability during fluid flow through thermal systems.

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Engineered particles for concentrated solar power (CSP) systems that achieve high solar absorption, durability at extreme temperatures, and multiple recoverability. The particles consist of silica core with a metal oxide coating, where the metal oxide layer enhances absorption in the visible to near-infrared spectrum. The coating is applied through a controlled milling process to achieve precise particle size and surface characteristics. This enables high solar absorption efficiency, improved thermal stability, and the ability to recover multiple times in high-temperature applications.

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Nanofluids for high-temperature applications that maintain stable dispersion through a novel combination of surface modification and polymer chain engineering. The nanofluids contain nanoparticles dispersed within a medium-high temperature working fluid, which exhibits enhanced thermal stability compared to conventional nanofluids. The dispersion mechanism involves surface modification of the nanoparticles to increase their hydrophobicity and prevent agglomeration, while the polymer chains on the nanoparticles' surface enhance interparticle repulsion. This approach enables the creation of stable nanofluids for high-temperature applications such as solar thermal conversion, heat storage, and heat transfer systems.

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A method to create high-performance photothermal nanofluids from waste cutting fluid by combining photothermal conversion nanomaterials with the base fluid. The process involves centrifugation to separate the base fluid from solid components, homogenization to ensure uniform dispersion of the nanomaterials, and further processing to produce stable photothermal nanofluids. These nanofluids exhibit exceptional infrared light absorption properties, enabling enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency in applications like solar collectors and desalination systems.

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A phase change material (PCM) nanofiber for solar cells that achieves high efficiency through a novel manufacturing approach. The nanofibers are produced by electrospinning a thermally heated double nozzle system containing a solid phase heat storage mixture and a polymer. The process involves heating the mixture in the inner nozzle while injecting the polymer into the outer nozzle. By selectively heating the core material, the nanofibers can be formed with a thickness of less than 20 mm, enabling efficient solar cell applications.

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A nanofluid heat collector with a spiral reinforced heat pipe that achieves high efficiency through vacuum-cooled nanofluid storage. The collector features a phase change heat transfer method using nanofluids as working media, with a unique design that prevents fluid filling of the heat pipe tubes. In the vacuum environment, the working fluid naturally expands, providing a controlled expansion space within the heat pipe. This design enables the collector to maintain optimal operating conditions, particularly beneficial for cold regions where frost resistance is critical. The collector's spiral design enhances heat transfer while maintaining structural integrity.

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A solar collector design that improves heat transfer efficiency through enhanced radiation absorption and reflection. The collector incorporates a condenser lens and reflective coating to concentrate solar radiation onto the working fluid, thereby increasing its absorption capacity. This design utilizes MXene nanofluid as the heat transfer medium, where MXene enhances radiation absorption while the condenser lens and reflective coating amplify the concentrated radiation. The collector's unique design configuration ensures efficient radiation absorption at the focal point, thereby significantly improving heat collection efficiency compared to conventional collectors.

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Composite nanoparticles for enhanced solar energy absorption and conversion efficiency through optimized structural design. The nanoparticles achieve superior full-spectrum light absorption and heat generation through a novel structural parameter optimization approach. By analyzing the parameter change law of radiation absorption and heat generation characteristics, the design enables the creation of nanoparticles that can absorb and convert a broader spectrum of solar radiation, thereby increasing their overall solar energy conversion efficiency.

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A liquid medium for photothermal conversion that enables long-term operation of heat management systems through the use of photothermal conversion particles. The medium comprises fine particles that absorb solar radiation and convert it into heat, with these particles having infrared absorption characteristics. The particles are dispersed in a liquid medium, such as organic solvents, fats, or petroleum-derived media, which enables their long-term operation in heat management systems. The particles are tungsten oxide fine particles or composite tungsten oxide fine particles with oxygen deficiency, which exhibit enhanced infrared absorption properties compared to conventional tungsten oxide.

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High-temperature stable ionic liquid nanofluid for solar thermal applications, enabling efficient heat transfer at elevated temperatures. The nanofluid achieves superior thermal conductivity and photothermal conversion properties compared to conventional ionic liquids, making it suitable for high-temperature solar thermal systems. The nanofluid's enhanced thermal conductivity and photothermal conversion capabilities enable reliable operation above 200°C, while maintaining high viscosity and stability. This enables the development of high-temperature stable nanofluids for solar thermal applications, particularly in concentrated solar power systems.

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A nanofluid-based solar energy system that utilizes a novel liquid frequency divider to enhance solar-to-thermal conversion efficiency. The system employs a liquid frequency divider comprising Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles, where Ag nanoparticles selectively absorb solar radiation, while SiO2 nanoparticles facilitate heat transfer. This hybrid approach enables selective absorption of solar radiation while maintaining efficient heat transfer between the solar radiation and the photovoltaic cell. The Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles are prepared through a novel method that avoids the aggregation of Ag nanoparticles typically associated with Ag nanofluids. This preparation enables stable and controlled Ag nanoparticle dispersion in the liquid frequency divider, while maintaining the optical properties of the SiO2 matrix.

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A hybrid solar energy system that generates both electricity and high-temperature thermal energy from solar irradiance. The system comprises a photovoltaic cell mounted on a metal extrusion device, a transparent channel containing a heat transfer fluid, and a metal extrusion channel. The photovoltaic cell absorbs solar energy, while the heat transfer fluid, seeded with nanoparticles, absorbs wavelengths not utilized by the photovoltaic cell. The heat transfer fluid then passes through the transparent channel, where it absorbs solar energy and generates additional thermal energy. This dual-function system enables both electricity generation and thermal energy production from the same solar array, addressing the limitations of conventional solar systems.

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A heat transport fluid containing dispersed solid particles with enhanced thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. The fluid comprises a base fluid and solid particles with an average diameter of 200-400 nm, with a potential difference of 35 mV or more from the base fluid. The solid particles have a content of 1.0% by volume or more in the base fluid, and the heat conductivity of the fluid is at least 1.096 times that of the base fluid.

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Nanofluid heat transfer medium for solar collector tubes that improves efficiency through enhanced particle-liquid interactions. The medium comprises TiO2 nanoparticles and magnetic microspheres, which combine to form a nanofluid with superior thermal conductivity and microstructural properties. This combination enables enhanced heat transfer rates and energy conversion in solar collector tubes compared to conventional base fluids.

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Nanomaterials that enhance both thermal conductivity and phase change capacity in nanofluids. The nanomaterial comprises a phase change material core surrounded by a shell of nanodiamond particles. This unique composition provides improved thermal conductivity and phase change properties in nanofluids, enabling enhanced cooling performance and phase change energy storage.

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A solar concentrator system that enables direct absorption of solar radiation using a gas-based nanofluid as a thermovector fluid, overcoming traditional limitations of molten salt and oil-based systems. The system comprises a transparent solar receiver with a gas-based nanofluid flow path, where the nanofluid absorbs solar radiation directly. This enables efficient conversion of solar energy into heat without the need for conventional thermal accumulation systems, particularly suitable for high-temperature applications. The system incorporates a specially designed receiving element that facilitates efficient nanofluid flow and heat transfer.

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A solar photovoltaic thermal device that integrates nanofluid-based cooling with thermoelectric energy harvesting and phase change material storage. The device combines the benefits of nanofluid-based heat management with thermoelectric conversion and phase change material (PCM) storage, enabling rapid temperature regulation and stable water heating. The device achieves enhanced solar energy conversion through optimized cooling and enhanced thermal energy storage, making it particularly suitable for applications requiring both solar energy and domestic hot water.

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Concentrating solar power system using a carbon nanotube-based fluidized bed heat transfer medium to efficiently capture concentrated solar radiation. The system employs a bed of fluidizable particles containing carbon nanotubes bonded to the particles, which absorbs and stores solar radiation. The bed is circulated through a solar receiver to generate electricity, with the absorbed radiation then transferred to an energy-generating structure. This approach enables high-efficiency thermal energy harvesting from concentrated solar radiation while minimizing the thermal stability requirements of conventional heat transfer media.

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