Arun, M.Barik, DebabrataSharma, PrabhakarGürel, Ali EtemAğbulut, ÜmitMedhi, Bhaskar JyotiBora, Bhaskor J.2025-10-112025-10-1120242190-55092190-5517https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-023-02977-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12684/21277A solar collector is a device used to absorb energy from the sun by collecting solar radiation and turning it into electricity or heat. The material type and coating of a solar collector are utilized to enhance solar energy absorption. This research combines experimental and computational methods to examine the performance of a parabolic-type plate solar water heater (PTSWH). The nanoparticles-DI water at a rate of mass flow (MFR) of 0.5–3.0 kg/min in 0.5 kg/min increments were used in a tube-in-tube heat exchanger featuring dimpled inner tubes with a pressure-to-diameter (P/D) ratio of 3. The researchers examined the fluid flow patterns and heat transfer efficiency in a dimple texture tube using nanoparticles of TiO<inf>2</inf>, Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>, CuO, and SiO<inf>2</inf> with a size range of 10–15 nm and a volume concentration (VC) of 0.1–0.5% in increments of 0.1%. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to explore and verify the impact of nanoparticle concentration on the PTSWH. It was revealed that CuO /DI-H<inf>2</inf>O at a nanoparticles VC of 0.3% and a MFR of 2.5 kg/min yielded the best PTSWH performance. With a nanoparticle concentration of 0.3% and MFR of 2.5 kg/min, the efficiency of PTSWH was increased by approximately 34.3% for TiO<inf>2</inf>, 32.3% for Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>, 38.4% for CuO, and 36.4% for SiO<inf>2</inf>. The results also show that the solar water heater’s thermal efficiency rose steadily with the rise in MFR. At a MFR of 2.5 kg/min, Cu/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O was found to have a higher Nusselt number than TiO<inf>2</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, and SiO<inf>2</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, respectively, by 10.5%, 8.2%, and 5%. TiO<inf>2</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, Cu/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O, and SiO<inf>2</inf>/DI-H<inf>2</inf>O nanoparticle-coated dimple texturing tubes all had lower friction coefficients than a plain tube did. Finally, a comparison was made between the experimental and simulated data, and the overall variation of ± 3.1% was found to be within an acceptable range. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.en10.1007/s13204-023-02977-1info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessComputational Fluid DynamicsDimple Texture TubeHeat ExchangerNanoparticles ConcentrationParabolic-type Plate Solar Water HeaterAluminaAluminum OxideFlow Of FluidsHeat ExchangersHeat Transfer PerformanceNanofluidicsSilicaSio2 NanoparticlesSolar EnergySolar Water HeatersTexturesTio2 NanoparticlesTitanium DioxideTubes (components)Dimple Texture TubeExperimental FluidsFluid Dynamic AnalysisFluid-dynamic AnalysisNanoparticle ConcentrationsParabolic TroughParabolic-type Plate Solar Water HeaterParabolicsPerformanceVolume ConcentrationComputational Fluid DynamicsArticle1422913372-s2.0-105009161530Q1