Novel Nanoparticle Design Enhances Thermal Energy Storage in Flat Plate Solar Collectors

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in Turkiye have developed a novel nanomaterial design that significantly improves thermal energy storage in flat plate solar collectors. The study, published in the Journal of Energy Storage, investigates the melting and energy storage characteristics of a phase change material (PCM) vessel integrated into a conventional flat-plate solar collector. The researchers employed dendritic fin structures and graphene oxide-MXene hybrid nanoparticles to enhance energy storage and reduce melting time.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study demonstrates that pure PCM exhibits the best melting and energy storage characteristics compared to hybrid nano-PCM (HyNPCM) due to its lower viscosity.
  • The use of dimpled dendritic fins reduces melting time by up to 76.2% compared to conventional fin designs.
  • The incorporation of graphene oxide-MXene hybrid nanoparticles (HyNP) into the PCM at a volume condition of phi(vol.) = 2.0% and 6.0% increases melting time by 1.0% and 1.98%, respectively.
  • The novel fin structure and hybrid nanoparticles lead to an increase in stored energy by 3.45%, 1.51%, 1.38%, and 1.23% compared to conventional designs in Cases 1, 4, 7, and 10, respectively.
  • The results obtained from this study will pave the way for the use of dendritic fin structures in thermal energy storage (TES) systems.

Statistics:

  • Melting time decreased by up to 11.1% in Case 7 (P/d = 1.5) compared to Case 4 (without dimpled fins).
  • Melting time decreased by up to 76.2% in Case 7 (P/d = 1.5) compared to Case 1.
  • Stationary stored energy was 2517 kJ/m in Case 13 (P/d = 2.5).
  • Energy storage was higher than Case 1, 4, 7, and 10 at the rate of 3.45%, 1.51%, 1.38%, and 1.23%, respectively.

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Report Summarizes Nanoparticles Study Findings from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University (Investigation of Melting and Energy Storage Performance of Pcm In a Flat Plate Solar Collector Considering Novel Dendritic Fin Design and Go+mxene Hybrid ...). Nanotechnology Weekly. November 3, 2025; p 1357.
  • Investigation of Melting and Energy Storage Performance of Pcm In a Flat Plate Solar Collector Considering Novel Dendritic Fin Design and Go+mxene Hybrid Nanoparticles. Journal of Energy Storage, 2025;134.