Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Numerical investigation of the effect of rotary propeller type turbulator on

the energy and exergy efficiencies of a concentrating photovoltaic/thermal
hybrid collector
Ahmed N. Abdalla a, **, Amin Shahsavar b, *
a
Faculty of Electronic Information Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an, 223002, JiangSu, China
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kermanshah University of Technology, Kermanshah, Iran

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Cecilia Maria Villas Bôas de By combining photovoltaic panels that are able to convert solar energy into electricity with solar collectors that
Almeida are able to convert solar energy into heat, photovoltaic/thermal hybrid collectors (PTHCs) are invented. In these
systems, solar energy is simultaneously converted into electricity and heat, and they have a better performance
Keywords: than separate photovoltaic panels and solar collectors. For this reason, improving the performance of these
Concentrating photovoltaic/thermal hybrid
systems has always been the focus of researchers. The present numerical research is devoted to the investigation
collector
of the effect of using a rotary propeller type turbulator in a concentrating PTHC (CPTHC) on the energy and
Energy
Exergy exergy features of the collector. The results are compared with the data belonging to the cases without a tur­
Numerical study bulator and with a stationary turbulator. The effect of Reynolds number (Re) and rotational speed of the tur­
Rotary turbulator bulator (ω) on the results is investigated. Water is considered as the working fluid of the CPTHC, and its flow is
carried out in a turbulent regime. Among the three investigated cases, the best and worst performance belonged
to the CPTHCs with a rotary turbulator and without a turbulator, respectively. The results showed that the rise of
ω from 0 to 10000 rpm results in a growth in the thermal energy efficiency, total energy efficiency and thermal
exergy efficiency by 75.47%–90.17%, 115.80%–130.78% and 0.75%–0.87%, respectively. Additionally, it was
explored that the rise of ω entails an ascending-descending trend in the useful electrical power, first law electrical
efficiency, second law electrical efficiency and second law total efficiency of the CPTHC, and the maximum value
of these parameters occurs at ω = 5000 rpm. The highest total energy efficiency, which was equal to 130.78%,
belonged to the case of Re = 20000 and ω = 10000 rpm, while the highest exergy efficiency was equal to 17.24%
and belonged to the case of Re = 20000 and ω = 5000 rpm.

1. Introduction
Global warming and climate change are currently one of the most
important environmental challenges in the world, the consequences of
which are the increase in temperature, the melting of polar ice, the rise
of the sea level, and the change in climate thresholds (Gurturk et al.,
2022). Researchers believe that this problem can be solved by replacing
fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as solar energy and wind
energy. In 2021, wind and solar energy sources produced a total of
10.5% of the total 3000 TW h of electricity needed by the world. Of this
figure, 3.7% is related to solar energy and 6.8% is related to wind energy
(IEA, 2022). Comparison with the last decade shows that renewable
energy sources have made extensive progress and reached this position
from a share of less than 1% (IEA, 2022).
Solar energy can be converted into heat and electricity, which are
done by using solar collectors and photovoltaic (PV) panels, respec­
tively. The efficiency of PV panels available in the market is between 12
and 18%, which unfortunately diminishes with boosting temperature
(Adun et al., 2022). That is, around noon, when the intensity of solar
radiation is at its highest daily value, the PV panels reach their highest
temperature and, as a result, have the lowest efficiency. The solution of
the researchers to solve this problem is to take extra heat from the panels
and cool them. This goal can be achieved with different techniques such
as using phase change materials (PCMs) (Das et al., 2021),

* Corresponding author.
** Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: ahmed@hyit.edu.cn (A.N. Abdalla), a.shahsavar@kut.ac.ir (A. Shahsavar).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136225
Received 28 December 2022; Received in revised form 18 January 2023; Accepted 26 January 2023
Available online 27 January 2023
0959-6526/© 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar
Fig. 1. Demonstrative illustration of the (a) CPTHC, (b) collector and (c)
propeller-type turbulator.
thermoelectric generators (Akal and Turk, 2022), splitter (He et al.,
2019) or circulating a fluid on or under the PV panels (Aydin et al.,
2022). By cooling the panels using a liquid or gas, both the reduction of
the efficiency of panels is prevented, and the heated fluid can be used for
various purposes such as solar dryers or air conditioning (Ji et al., 2023).
These devices, which are able to simultaneously convert solar energy
into electricity and heat, are called photovoltaic/thermal hybrid col­
lectors (PTHCs). They have attracted the attention of many researchers
and many studies have been done on their performance (Anand et al.,
2021).
Turbulators are one of the methods that are widely used by re­
searchers to improve the performance of heat transfer equipment
(Gurdul et al., 2022). These devices are used to create turbulence in the
flow of heat transfer fluid and thus, reduce the thickness of the thermal
boundary layer which is associated with an increase in the heat transfer
rate (Mahanand and Senapati, 2022). The efficiency of turbulators in
PTHCs has also been investigated by various researchers. Maadi et al.
(Maadi et al. (2021) simulated the performance of a PTHC equipped
with a wavy-strip insert. It was reported that the use of the turbulator
results in a 6.92–8.64% improvement in the thermal performance and a
2.01–2.45% improvement in the electrical performance of the PTHC.
Kalateh et al. (2022) performed an indoor experimental investigation to
analyze the performance of a PTHC with clockwise and
counter-clockwise twisted tape turbulators. The influence of mass flow
rate of coolant (pure water) and heat flux on the outcomes were also
examined. The highest amount of increment in the total efficiency of the
PTHC due to the use of clockwise and counter-clockwise twisted tapes
2
Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225
Table 1
Features of different components of a photovoltaic panel (Shahsavar et al.,
2022).
Material Density Specific heat Thermal Thickness
(kg/m3) (J/kg K) conductivity (W/m (mm)
K)
Copper 8933 380 400 0.6
Glass 3000 500 2 6
EVA 960 2090 0.35 0.5
Silicon 2330 677 148 0.225
Tedlar 1200 1250 0.2 0.1
was reported as 7.37 and 68.97%, respectively. In a numerical study,
Benzarti et al. (2022) tried to enhance the performance of a naturally
ventilated PTHC by utilizing twisted baffle inserts. It was explored that
increasing the number of inserts has a decreasing effect on the PV panel
temperature. In the best case, the use of 15 inserts led to a 2.5-degree
decrement in the PV panel temperature and a 3.36% increment in the
electrical efficiency. In an experimental-numerical assessment, Tuncer
et al. (2023) analyzed the performance of a PTHC solar drying unit with
a grooved absorber, spherical obstacles and baffles. The outlet temper­
ature of this unit was found to be 17.77% lower than that of the un­
modified unit.
After confirming the efficiency of turbulators in various researches, a
group of researchers proposed the idea of using rotary turbulators and
investigated their efficiency in various applications (Goh et al., 2021).
The explanation of the researchers was that the rotation of the turbulator
causes the flow to become more disturbed and the secondary flow to be
strengthened, which means improving the efficiency of the turbulator
(Thermal efficiency enhancement of parabolic, 2021). Investigations
confirmed this prediction and it was found that the efficiency of rotary
turbulators is better than fixed turbulators (Experimental evaluation of
performance intensification, 2021). The current research is carried out
with the aim of numerically studying the energy and exergy perfor­
mance of a water-based CPTHC with rotary propeller turbulators in the
absorber tube. Simulations are performed for different rotational speeds
of propellers (ω = 0–10000 rpm) and Reynolds numbers (Re =
5000–20000) and the results are compared with the data related to the
case of stationary turbulator and the case without turbulators. A review
of the research literature reveals that the present research is the first
study on the performance of CPTHCs equipped with rotary
propeller-type turbulators.
2. Geometry specifications
The examined CPTHC consists of various components which are
shown in Fig. 1(a). This device consists of a glass cover, an Ethylene
Vinyl Acetate (EVA) layer, a silicon-made solar cell, an EVA-Tedlar
layer, a copper absorber plate and a riser tube. The specifications and
dimensions of each of these layers are presented in Table 1. The inner
radius and thickness of the riser tube are 4.5 mm and 0.5 mm, respec­
tively. The collector of the CPTHC is a sheet-and-tube type with a large
number of riser tubes welded under it. To boost the speed of the simu­
lations, the symmetry condition is used and only one absorber tube is
considered. The dimensions of the different parts of the computational
domain investigated in the current research are shown in Fig. 1(b). The
turbulator is a solid tube with a diameter of 1.8 mm, on which 7 pro­
pellers are placed. It should be noted that the distance of the first pro­
peller from the inlet and the last propeller from the outlet is 100 mm,
and the distance between successive propellers is also 100 mm. The
dimensions of different parts of a propeller are shown in Fig. 1(c).
The working fluid considered for the CPTHC is pure water whose
density, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity and viscosity are
998.1 kg/m3, 4190 J/kg.K, 0.608 W/m.K, and 0.001003 kg/m.s,
respectively.
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225

3. Details of numerical simulation coefficients are calculated using the following relations (Shahsavar
et al., 2022):
3.1. Governing equations
hc = 5.7 + 3.8vw (9)
The flow of water inside the riser tube is turbulent, steady, three- { [ ]4 }
Tg4 − 0.0522Ta1.5
dimensional, incompressible and Newtonian. The governing equations hr = 5.67 × 10− 8 εg (10)
of such a flow are the conservation equations of mass, momentum and Tg − 0.0522Ta1.5
energy, which are presented below (Shahsavar et al., 2022).
where vw is the wind velocity (=1.5 m/s), εg is the cover emissivity
- Mass conservation: (=0.86), Tg is the cover temperature.
Part of the sunlight that is absorbed by the silicon layer is taken into
∂ui account by including a heat source in this layer. It is assumed that a
=0 (1)
∂xi concentrator with a concentration ratio of 3.5 is used in the CPTHC
considered in this research, which makes the intensity of solar radiation
where ui is the average velocity vector.
hitting the device equal to Ir = 3500 W/m2. Finally, it is assumed that
sunlight hits the glass cover at an angle of 90◦ .
- Momentum conservation:
( )
∂u ∂ ∂u ∂p
ρu j i = ρg i + μ i − ρu′i u′j − (2) 3.3. Performance analysis features
∂xj ∂xj ∂xj ∂xj

where p is the average pressure, ρ is the water density, gi is the gravi­ The criteria used by researchers to analyze the performance of
tational acceleration vector, and ui is the velocity fluctuation.
′
PTHCs from an energy point of view are heat (ηth ), electrical (ηel ) and
total (ηov ) efficiencies, which are calculated as follows (Shahsavar et al.,
- Energy conservation: 2022):
ṁcp (To − Ti )
ρcp uj
∂T ∂2 T
= k 2 − ρcp uj
∂ ( i ′)
uT (3) ηth = (11)
∂xj ∂xj ∂xj i Is Apv

[ ( )] 2ṁΔp
where T is the average temperature, cp is the specific heat capacity, k is ηel = 16.5 1 − 0.00451 Tpv − 293 αpv − (12)
ρIs Apv
the thermal conductivity and T is the temperature fluctuation.
′

The K-epsilon technique, which is known to be robust, stable and ηel

accurate, is used to simulate turbulence. This technique includes two ηov = ηth + (13)
0.38
new variables, which are k and epsilon, which express the turbulent
kinetic energy and dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, respectively. where ṁ is the mass flow rate of water, To is the outlet temperature, Ti is
To determine these two variables, two new equations are needed, which the inlet temperature, Apv is the surface area of PV panel, αpv is the ab­
are as follows (Chen et al., 2023): sorptivity of PV panel and Δp is the pressure drop of water.
[( ) ] The amount of work that can be extracted from a system that has
∂ ( ) ∂ μ ∂k reached its thermodynamic equilibrium through a reversible process is
ρkuj = μ+ t + Gk − ρε (4)
∂xj ∂xj σ k ∂xj called exergy (Shahsavar et al., 2022). In fact, exergy is the maximum
[( ) ] useful work that can be obtained from a material or energy flow
∂ ( ) ∂ μt ∂ε ε
ρεuj = μ+ + (C1 Gk − C2 ρε) (5) (Ahmadinejad and Moosavi, 2023). The parameters used to analyze the
∂xj ∂xj σ ε ∂xj k PTHC performance from the exergy point of view are heat (σ th ), elec­
trical (σel ) and total (σov ) exergy efficiencies (Aboueian and Shahsavar,
where
2022):
k2 [ ]
μt = ρ C μ (6) ṁcp (To − Ti ) 1 − TTava
ε
σ th = [ ( ) ( )4 ] (14)
[ ( )T ] Ta
Is Apv 1 − 43 0.0522T Ta
+ 13 0.0522T
∂ui ∂ui 1.5 1.5

(7)
a a
G k = μt +
∂xj ∂xj [ ( )]
16.5 1 − 0.00451 Tpv − 293 αpv Is Apv − 2ṁΔp
(15)
ρ
here, C1 = 1.44, C2 = 1.92, Cμ = 0.09, σ k = 1.0 and σ ε = 1.3.
σ el = [ ( ) ( )4 ]
Ta Ta
Is Apv 1 − 43 0.0522T + 1
Heat transfer in different layers of the CPTHC, which does not 1.5
a 3 0.0522T 1.5
a

include fluid flow, is done by the conduction mechanism, which is

analyzed using the following equation: σ ov = σth + σ el (16)
2
∂T
ks =0 (8) 4. Numerical work
∂xj 2
The simulations in this research were done using a CFD code (Ansys
3.2. Boundary conditions Fluent 18.1). The discretization of the governing equations was done by
using the SIMPLE and second-order upwind methods. The considered
Water enters the riser tube at a constant temperature (298 K) and convergence criterion for all equations was 10− 6.
constant velocity (vin = ρ×din ,
μ×Re
where din is the inlet diameter of riser Ensuring the quality of the mesh in numerical studies is very
tube). The relative velocity of the fluid adjacent to the wall is assumed to important in such a way that there should not be a significant change in
be zero. Also, all side walls and back wall of the device are considered as the results by changing the number of elements. Also, due to the for­
insulation. The outer surface of the cover exchanges heat with the mation and development of velocity and thermal boundary layers in the
ambient air through the convection and radiation mechanisms, whose vicinity of solid surfaces, and due to the presence of extreme velocity

3
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar
Table 2
Findings of mesh study (Re = 20000 and ω = 10000 rpm).
Number Elements
1 2,378,228
2 3,567,342
3 4,756,456
4 5,945,570
Fig. 2. Findings of validation against Ref. (Yu et al., 2019).
Fig. 3. Useful thermal power output of the CPTHCs without turbulator and
with stationary turbulator.
and temperature gradients in these layers, more number of elements
should be used in these areas. Considering these points, mesh analysis
was done for the case of Re = 20000 and ω = 10000 rpm by producing
four grids with different number of elements and comparing their re­
sults. The results of the investigations presented in Table 2 showed that
the grid with 4,756,456 elements is the most suitable grid for the present
study.
Another issue that must be considered before starting the simulations
is the validation of the method used to perform the simulations. This was
achieved by comparing the results of the present research with those
presented in Ref (Yu et al., 2019). for the PV panel temperature and
temperature of water leaving the PTHC. Examining the results, which
are presented in Fig. 2, confirms the accuracy of the method used in the
present study.
Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225
Tpv (K)
308.54
307.01
306.15
306.08
Fig. 4. Useful electrical energy output of the CPTHCs without turbulator and
with stationary turbulator.
Fig. 5. Pressure drop of water inside the CPTHC without turbulator and with
stationary turbulator.
5. Results and discussion
In this section, the results obtained from the simulations are pre­
sented. The way to present the results is that first, the performance of the
CPTHCs without turbulator and with stationary turbulator at different
Re s are compared. Then, the performance of systems with fixed and
rotating turbulator has been compared. After determining the best
performance of the CPTHCs with stationary turbulator, the effect of the
rotational speed of the turbulator on the performance of the optimal
system is investigated.
The thermal power yield of the CPTHCs without turbulator and with
stationary turbulator at different Re s are shown in Fig. 3. It is evident
that in all Re s, the use of the stationary turbulator is associated with a
5.11–8.27% increment in the thermal power yield of the CPTHC, and
this is more evident in higher Re s. The presence of the turbulator leads
to a better mixing of the flow, which leads to an increment in heat
transfer from the riser pipe to the water.
Fig. 4 displays the electrical power yield of the CPTHCs without
turbulator and with stationary turbulator at different Re s. According to
the results, the use of stationary turbulator leads to a 0.03–2.07%
increment in the net electrical power yield of the CPTHC. The difference
between the electrical performance of the two CPTHCs boosts with
intensifying Re. To calculate the useful electrical power of the investi­
gated CPTHCs, the electrical power of output the PV panels is minus the
power required to flow water in the riser tubes, which is a function of the
water pressure drop inside the riser pipe. As can be seen in Fig. 5, the use
4
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225

Fig. 7. (a) Heat, (b) electrical and (c) total exergy efficiencies of the CPTHCs
Fig. 6. First law (a) heat, (b) electrical and (c) total efficiencies of the CPTHCs without turbulator and with stationary turbulator.
without turbulator and with stationary turbulator.

Fig. 6. It is evident that the thermal, electrical and total performance of

of the turbulator leads to a 66.10–152.87% increment in the water
the CPTHC with stationary turbulator is better than the device without
pressure drop, which results in a decrement in the useful electrical
turbulator. The difference between the heat, electrical and total energy
power yield of the CPTHC. On the other hand, it was explained above
efficiencies of two CPTHCs is 5.11–8.27%, 0.03–2.07% and 3.18–6.03%,
that the addition of the turbulator leads to an increment in the heat
respectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that the energetic perfor­
transfer from the riser tube to the water, which improves the cooling of
mance of the CPTHC with stationary turbulator is better than the CPTHC
the PV panels and, as a result, augments their electrical power output.
without turbulator. It should be noted that the total efficiency of the
Therefore, the application of the turbulator has both an increasing and a
CPTHCs is greater than 100% due to the way the total efficiency is
decreasing effect on the net electrical power yield of the CPTHC.
calculated in such a way that the electrical efficiency is divided by 0.38
Examining the results presented in Fig. 4 reveals that the increasing
and then added with the heat efficiency.
effect of the turbulator on the net electrical power yield overcomes its
The second law efficiencies of the CPTHCs without turbulator and
decreasing effect and as a result, the electrical performance of the device
with stationary turbulator are shown in Fig. 7. As seen, all 3 s law effi­
with the stationary turbulator is greater than the device without the
ciencies of the CPTHC diminish with boosting Re. In addition, it is
turbulator.
evident that the CPTHC equipped with stationary turbulator performs
Comparison of first law efficiencies of the CPTHCs without turbula­
better than the CPTHC without turbulator from the second law view­
tor and with stationary turbulator at different Re s are presented in
point. The difference between the second heat, electrical and total

5
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar
Fig. 8. Thermal power output of the CPTHCs with stationary and rotary
turbulators.
Fig. 9. Temperature contour of photovoltaic panel of the CPTHCs with sta­
tionary and rotary turbulators.
efficiencies of the two CPTHCs is 5.81–8.61%, 0.03–2.07% and
0.28–2.35%, respectively.
So far, it is found that firstly, the energy and exergy performances of
the CPTHC with stationary turbulator are better than the CPTHC
without turbulator, and secondly, the best energy performance of the
CPTHCs occurs at Re = 20000. The continuation of this section is
6
Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225
Fig. 10. Electrical power output of the CPTHCs with stationary and rotary
turbulators.
Fig. 11. Thermal power output of the CPTHCs with stationary and rotary
turbulators.
dedicated to presenting the results of comparing the first law and second
law performances of the CPTHCs with stationary and rotary turbulators
at Re = 20000.
How the PV panel temperature changes with the ω is shown in Fig. 8.
The downward trend of the panel temperature with the intensification in
ω is evident in this figure. According to the results, the PV panel tem­
perature for ω = 0 and ω = 10000 rpm is respectively 310.74 K and
306.15 K.
The temperature contour of the PV panel for different ω s is presented
in Fig. 9. The decrement in panel temperature with increasing ω and the
lower temperature of the central area of the panel under which the riser
tube is located are two patterns evident in these contours.
The rotation of the turbulator, on the one hand, by reducing the PV
panel temperature, boosts the electricity yield of the panels, and on the
other hand, by increasing the fluid pressure drop, reduces the useful
electrical power output. Fig. 10 shows the pattern of changes in useful
electrical power output of the CPTHC with ω. The ascending-descending
nature of the pattern and the fact that the useful electrical power output
is maximum at ω = 5000 rpm are evident in this figure.
Fig. 11 portrays the variation pattern of thermal power output of the
CPTHC with ω. The upward trend is evident in this figure. By increasing
ω from 0 to 10000 rpm, the useful thermal power reaches from 102.64 W
to 118.54 W with a 15.49% increase. Turbulator rotation leads to
improved flow mixing, which results in boosted heat transfer from the
rise tube wall to the fluid.
The effect of using the rotary turbulator on the heat, electrical and
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar
Fig. 12. (a) Heat, (b) electrical and (c) total energy efficiencies of the CPTHCs
with stationary and rotary turbulators.
total energy efficiencies of the CPTHC is shown in Fig. 12(a) and (b) and
12(c), respectively. As ω augments, the heat and total energy efficiencies
boost, while the electrical efficiency first grows and then diminishes.
The rate of increment in the heat and total energy efficiencies with
boosting ω from zero to 10000 rpm is about 19.48% and 12.93,
respectively. In addition, it is evident that the maximum first law elec­
trical efficiency of the CPTHC occurs at the ω = 5000 rpm.
Fig. 13(a)-(c) display the heat, electrical and total exergy efficiencies
of the CPTHCs with stationary and rotary turbulators. The heat exergy
efficiency of the CPTHC always boosts with the rise of ω and reaches
from 0.75% in ω = 0–0.87% in ω = 10000 rpm. The second law elec­
trical efficiency grows with the rise of ω from 0 to 5000 rpm, but it
declines with a further intensification in ω. It should be noted that the
second law electrical efficiency of the CPTHC with rotary turbulator is
always higher than that of the CPTHC with stationary turbulator. The
7
Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225
Fig. 13. (a) Heat, (b) electrical and (c) total exergy efficiencies of the CPTHCs
with stationary and rotary turbulators.
results of the total exergy efficiency also show that the best second law
performance of the CPTHC belongs to ω = 5000 rpm because at this
speed, the total exergy efficiency reaches its maximum value (i.e.
17.24%).
The presented results indicated that the rotary propeller type tur­
bulator has a significant potential to be used in the CPTHCs and leads to
the improvement of the performance of these systems from both energy
and exergy perspectives. Regarding the use of these turbulators, there
are three major challenges, which are: (1) increasing the coolant pres­
sure drop and thus increasing the pumping power, (2) their need for
electricity to rotate and (3) increasing the cost of the system. The results
of this research showed that the first challenge is not serious and sig­
nificant. The second challenge can be solved by improving the system
design and conducting optimization studies. Finally, an opinion can be
given about the third challenge after checking the performance of the
optimal rotary propeller type turbulator.
A.N. Abdalla and A. Shahsavar
6. Conclusions
In this research, the performance of a concentrating CPTHC equip­
ped with a rotary turbulator is numerically investigated from the energy
and exergy viewpoints. The performance of the CPTHC is compared with
that of the CPTHCs with stationary turbulator and without turbulator.
Simulations are performed for different values of Re and ω. The most
important extracted results are as follows:
- The use of both types of stationary and rotary turbulators leads to the
improvement of the energy and exergy performances of the CPTHC,
and the efficiency of the rotating turbulator is better than the sta­
tionary turbulator.
- An increment in Re entails an increment in the thermal and total
energy efficiencies and a decrement in the electrical energy effi­
ciency as well as the thermal, electrical and total exergy efficiencies
of the CPTHC without turbulator and with stationary turbulator.
- An increase in ω from 0 to 10000 rpm entails an increment in the
thermal energy efficiency form 75.47%–90.17%, an intensification
in the total energy efficiency from 115.80% to 130.78% and an
increment in the thermal exergy efficiency from 0.75% to 0.87%.
- The electrical energy efficiency and the electrical and total exergy
efficiencies of the CPTHC first augment and then decline with
boosting ω, so that the maximum value of these efficiencies occurs in
ω = 5000 rpm.
- Among the investigated cases, the highest total energy efficiency of
the CPTHC is equal to 130.78%, which occurs at Re = 20000 and ω =
10000 rpm.
- The highest exergy efficiency of the CPTHC (=17.24%) occurs at Re
= 20000 and ω = 5000 rpm.
In the future study, the effect of turbulator characteristics such as the
number of propellers and their direction of rotation on the performance
of the CPTHC will be investigated.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Ahmed N. Abdalla: Software, Validation, Formal analysis, Writing –
original draft. Amin Shahsavar: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Investigation, Writing – review & editing, Supervision.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Data availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgment
Authors are very thankful for Huaiyin Institute of Technology and
Kermanshah University of Technology for supporting this project under
project JSA2018022.
Journal of Cleaner Production 393 (2023) 136225
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