Performance assessment of novel photovoltaic thermal system using nanoparticle in phase change material

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1490-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alper Ergün ◽  
Hilal Eyinç

Purpose Nanotechnology has developed gradually in recent years and it is encountered in various applications. It has many usage area especially in energy systems. The purpose of this study, in a photovoltaic thermal system, thermal behaviours of a PV panel has been investigated by energy and exergy analysis method using a phase change material inserted 5 per cent weighted Al2O3 nanoparticle. Design/methodology/approach In this study, one of the three different PV panels was kept normally, the other one was filled with a phase changing material (paraffin-wax) and the last panel was filled with the mixture of a nanoparticle and paraffin-wax. Findings After the analyses, especially during the time intervals when the radiation is high, it is found that the panel with Np-paraffin mixture has a high electrical and thermal efficiency. In addition, as a result of the exergy analyses, average exergy efficiency of the panel with Np-paraffin mixture has been determined as 10 per cent, whereas that of the panel with paraffin as 9.2 per cent. Originality/value Nanoparticles had not been used with PCMs in photovoltaic–thermal systems in the studies made before.

Author(s):  
Andrew H. Rosenthal ◽  
Bruna P. Gonçalves ◽  
J. A. Beckwith ◽  
Rohit Gulati ◽  
Marc D. Compere ◽  
...  

This paper investigates the use of phase-change material (PCM) for temperature regulation of a rack-mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar panel. PV panels exhibit a significant decrease in electrical efficiency as temperature trends higher. Current PV panels are approximately 10–16% efficient at harnessing incident solar irradiation into effective electrical power. The remaining solar irradiation that is not converted to electricity will heat the PV panel and decrease efficiency. Using PCM for temperature regulation and temporary heat storage in photovoltaic/thermal systems (PVT) is an emerging technology that has attracted attention recently. The PCM absorbs heat and regulates peak temperature, which allows the PV panel to operate at lower temperatures during peak solar conditions. Further, the waste heat stored in the PCM can be used for other applications. The main focus of this paper is to experimentally evaluate the heat dissipation of four different PCM containment configurations from a simulated PV panel.


Solar photovoltaic panels can receive only eighty percent of total incident solar radiation. A small amount of incident energy is transformed into electrical energy based on the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) cell. The remaining energy leads to an increase in photovoltaic cell operating temperature which affects its life and power output. Cooling of PV panel is the best way to improve the efficiency either by passive or active cooling methods. PV cooling by Phase change materials (PCM) is the best effective technique. Paraffin wax is a non toxic material having high latent heat of fusion used for many thermal applications. In this study, paraffin wax is taken as phase change material in aluminum heat sink with fins. Using DSC, the melting point of paraffin wax is analysed. The flat plate heater is used instead of solar PV panel. Different wattages are used for the experiments. Different inclinations such as horizontal (00 ), vertical (900 ) and intermediate (450 ) were taken in to consideration. The melting starts at 50oC and complete melting occurs at a temperature around 60oC for the paraffin based heat sink. The heat sink surface temperatures, fin temperatures and PCM temperatures are measured. The transient temperature distribution of heat sink, PCM is analysed at different wattage inputs. The total thermal performance of this paraffin PCM based heat sink was analysed experimentally. This infers that the cooling of high temperature of PV panels can be done by using paraffin based PCM to increase the efficiency and life of the panels.


2016 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C. Browne ◽  
Declan Quigley ◽  
Hanna R. Hard ◽  
Sarah Gilligan ◽  
Nadja C.C. Ribeiro ◽  
...  

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