Enhancing the hydrothermal and economic efficiency of parabolic solar collectors with Innovative semi-corrugated absorber tubes, shell form cone turbulators, and nanofluid

This study proposes a performance-enhancing design for parabolic trough solar collectors by integrating a novel semi-corrugated absorber tube with an innovative shell-form cone turbulator, operating with CuO–water nanofluid. Numerical simulations were conducted across a Reynolds number range of 4,500–10,930 to evaluate the effects of corrugation radius (0.5–1.5 mm), nanofluid volume fraction (1–3%), and turbulator geometry. Three turbulator designs—full (FSFCT), semi (SSFCT), and hollow (HSFCT) shell-form cone turbulators—were analyzed to identify optimal configurations. Performance was assessed from both hydrothermal and economic perspectives using the performance evaluation criterion (PEC), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and payback time. Results indicate that the configuration combining a semi-corrugated tube with a 1.5 mm radius, 3% CuO nanofluid, and the FSFCT achieved a 369% increase in Nusselt number, an LCOE of 0.546 $/kWh, and a payback time of 3.6 years, confirming its economic superiority. From a thermal-hydraulic perspective, the highest PEC value of 2.77 was obtained using the HSFCT under the same conditions.