M.M. Hasan a, b and K. Hriczó a
a)Department of Analysis, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc, Hungary
b)Department of Mechanical Power Techniques, Basra Technological Technical Institute, Southern Technical University, Basra, Iraq
Received 7 August, 2025; accepted in revised form 31 October, 2025
Abstract: This study evaluates the thermal performance of a dual-purpose solar collector using various hybrid nanofluids at different liquid flow rates. The impact of a (50:50) mixture of 1% vol MWCNT-CuO/H2O, 1% vol SWCNT-CuO/H2O, and 0.1% vol ZrO-SiC/H2O hybrid nanofluids, in comparison to water, has been analyzed numerically. Simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent CFD software, and the results were verified against experimental data from existing literature. The findings indicate that the hybrid nanofluids significantly improved liquid outlet temperatures compared to conventional water. Specifically, the use of SWCNT-CuO/H2O enhanced the exit liquid temperature and heat gain by 11.5% and 38%, respectively. Consequently, this enhancement can improve the thermal efficiency of the solar collector, underscoring the potential of hybrid nanofluids to enhance the performance of dual-purpose solar systems, making them effective alternatives to water as heat transfer fluids.
© European Society of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering
Keywords: Bi-fluid collector, CFD simulation, hybrid nanofluids, thermal performance,
Mathematics Subject Classification: 80M12
PACS: 44.90.+c