Phase-Change Material to Thermally Regulate Photovoltaic Panels to Improve Solar to Electric Efficiency

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew H. Rosenthal ◽  
Bruna P. Gonçalves ◽  
J. A. Beckwith ◽  
Rohit Gulati ◽  
Marc D. Compere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Temperature Regulation ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Solar Irradiation ◽  
Thermal Systems ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Change Material

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Paraffin Wax ◽  
Thermal System ◽  
Thermal Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Photovoltaic Thermal System ◽  
Energy And Exergy Analysis ◽  
Change Material

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.

Numerical Performances Study of Curved Photovoltaic Panel Integrated with Phase Change Material

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1439-1452
Author(s):  
Mohamed L. Benlekkam ◽  
Driss Nehari ◽  
Habib Y. Madani
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Photovoltaic Panel ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Energy Equations ◽  
Solid Liquid ◽  
Change Material

AbstractThe temperature rise of photovoltaic’s cells deteriorates its conversion efficiency. The use of a phase change material (PCM) layer linked to a curved photovoltaic PV panel so-called PV-mirror to control its temperature elevation has been numerically studied. This numerical study was carried out to explore the effect of inner fins length on the thermal and electrical improvement of curved PV panel. So a numerical model of heat transfer with solid-liquid phase change has been developed to solve the Navier–Stokes and energy equations. The predicted results are validated with an available experimental and numerical data. Results shows that the use of fins improve the thermal load distribution presented on the upper front of PV/PCM system and maintained it under 42°C compared with another without fins and enhance the PV cells efficiency by more than 2%.

scholarly journals Efficient storage and recovery of waste heat by phase change material embedded within additively manufactured grid heat exchangers

2021 ◽  
Vol 181 ◽  
pp. 121846
Author(s):  
Maryam Roza Yazdani ◽  
Alpo Laitinen ◽  
Valtteri Helaakoski ◽  
Lorant Katona Farnas ◽  
Kirsi Kukko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Efficient Storage ◽  
Change Material

Electricity-free chemical heater for isothermal nucleic acid amplification with applications in COVID-19 home testing

The Analyst ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Jie Li ◽  
Michael G. Mauk ◽  
Youngung Seok ◽  
Haim H. Bau
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Generation ◽  
Temperature Regulation ◽  
Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Enzymatic Amplification ◽  
Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification ◽  
Home Testing ◽  
Change Material

Electricty-free incubation of isothermal enzymatic amplification with a composite comprised of exothermic reactants for heat generation and phase change material for temperature regulation.

scholarly journals Precise nanoscale temperature mapping in operational microelectronic devices by use of a phase change material

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qilong Cheng ◽  
Sukumar Rajauria ◽  
Erhard Schreck ◽  
Robert Smith ◽  
Na Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Radiation Thermometry ◽  
High Vacuum ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Ultra High Vacuum ◽  
Scanning Thermal Microscopy ◽  
Change Material

AbstractThe microelectronics industry is pushing the fundamental limit on the physical size of individual elements to produce faster and more powerful integrated chips. These chips have nanoscale features that dissipate power resulting in nanoscale hotspots leading to device failures. To understand the reliability impact of the hotspots, the device needs to be tested under the actual operating conditions. Therefore, the development of high-resolution thermometry techniques is required to understand the heat dissipation processes during the device operation. Recently, several thermometry techniques have been proposed, such as radiation thermometry, thermocouple based contact thermometry, scanning thermal microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy and transition based threshold thermometers. However, most of these techniques have limitations including the need for extensive calibration, perturbation of the actual device temperature, low throughput, and the use of ultra-high vacuum. Here, we present a facile technique, which uses a thin film contact thermometer based on the phase change material $$Ge_2 Sb_2 Te_5$$ G e 2 S b 2 T e 5 , to precisely map thermal contours from the nanoscale to the microscale. $$Ge_2 Sb_2 Te_5$$ G e 2 S b 2 T e 5 undergoes a crystalline transition at $$\hbox {T}_{{g}}$$ T g with large changes in its electric conductivity, optical reflectivity and density. Using this approach, we map the surface temperature of a nanowire and an embedded micro-heater on the same chip where the scales of the temperature contours differ by three orders of magnitude. The spatial resolution can be as high as 20 nanometers thanks to the continuous nature of the thin film.

Phase Change Material as Pump in an Organic Rankine Cycle

2014 ◽  
Vol 575 ◽  
pp. 662-667
Author(s):  
Barghav Subramony Hariharan ◽  
Kaushik Suresh
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Change Material

Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) is predominantly used in waste heat recovery applications because of their low temperature working range. The main efficiency enhancement operation in an Organic Rankine Cycle is reducing the pump work .The pump converts electrical energy to flow energy. This input reduced and output maintained at the same level gives us a more efficient waste heat recovery system. The pump work can also be achieved by using a material that has the ability to expand on heating and revert back to its original state on cooling. The expansion property of the material is used to compress and drive the operating fluid through the cycle. Material that was observed to possess such properties was Phase Change Material. Conventionally PCM were used as thermal storage to preheat the working fluid in an ORC but a novel idea is to make the PCM utilize the heat rejected from the condenser and do the pump work. This paper discusses the various desirable properties of PCM to perform pump work efficiently and also the general layout and working of ORC system using PCM. The working fluid selected is toluene

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document