Ahmad Shafique, Muhammad Ramzan and Mudassar Nazar
The current research explores how entropy generation, heat, and mass transfer impact the motion of a Casson nanofluid when exposed to solar radiation on a vertical plate. This study employs a base fluid composed of polyvinyl alcohol water and considers the presence of copper nanoparticles and gyrotactic microorganisms. Given the increasing utilization of solar plates in various devices, there is a need to develop an effective numerical model for the flow and thermal characteristics of a parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC) mounted on a solar plate. Parabolic trough solar collectors (PTSCs) are solar energy systems that utilize curved mirrors, resembling parabolic troughs, to concentrate sunlight onto a single focal line. This focused sunlight heats the fluid flowing through a plate aligned along the focal line. Based on Fourier›s and Fick›s laws, the governing equations for heat, mass, and momentum have been established, and mathematical modelling is carried out. The Laplace transform method is applied to derive non-dimensional partial differential equations for the energy, mass, and velocity fields. The graphical analysis primarily focuses on the significant impact of key parameters, including the bioconvection Lewis number, magnetic field parameter, Prandtl number, electric field parameter, thermal Grashof number, mass Grashof number, chemical reaction parameter, and Peclet number, related to the flow properties. Increasing the volume fraction and radiation parameter of nanoparticles is shown to enhance the temperature profile. Non-Newtonian nanofluids exhibit great potential for enhancing heat transfer processes and finding diverse applications in solar energy systems, thermal energy systems, and microchip cooling.