scholarly journals Experimental and Numerical Study on the Cooling Performance of Fins and Metal Mesh Attached on a Photovoltaic Module

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaemin Kim ◽  
Sangmu Bae ◽  
Yongdong Yu ◽  
Yujin Nam

The electrical efficiency and durability of a photovoltaic (PV) cell degrades as its temperature increases. Accordingly, there have been continued efforts to control the cell temperature by cooling the PV module. Generally, passive PV cooling using heat sinks attached on the back of the PV module can improve the electrical efficiency. However, few experimental studies have evaluated the effect of the heat sink shape on PV cooling. Therefore, this study proposed a passive cooling technology using meshes made of iron and aluminum, and performed indoor tests using a solar simulator to analyze the cooling performance. The experimental results demonstrated that iron and aluminum meshes reduced the PV module temperature by approximately 4.35 °C and 6.56 °C, respectively. Additionally, numerical studies were performed using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to compare the cooling fins and meshes. The numerical results showed that the cooling fins exhibited a better cooling performance than the metal mesh. However, meshes can be mass-produced and have a high structural stability against wind loads. Meshes are more likely be applied to PV systems than cooling fins if adhesion were improved.

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaemin Kim ◽  
Yujin Nam

The issue of efficiency decrease according to temperature increase is a pending problem in the PV market. Several active and passive technologies have been suggested but few quantitative studies on the estimation of the cooling effect have been carried out. In this study, a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation model was developed to analyze a passive cooling technology using fins attached to the back of the PV module. Furthermore, a method to improve airflow at the back of the PV module by forming slits in the frame was analyzed. The simulation model reproduced the indoor test that uses a solar simulator and the cooling performance was analyzed according to the shape of the fins and the presence of slits. In the simulation results, the surface temperature and expected electrical efficiency without cooling were 62.78 °C and 13.24% respectively under nominal operating cell temperature conditions. Moreover, the temperature reduced by approximately 15.13 °C because the fins attached at the bottom of the PV module increased the heat transfer area with airflow. Thus, the electrical efficiency according to the PV module temperature was predicted as 14.39%. Furthermore, when slits were installed between the fins, they increased the airflow velocity and accelerated the formation of turbulence, thereby improving the cooling performance of the fins. The simulation results showed that the temperature could be further reduced by approximately 8.62 °C at a lower air velocity. As the fins and slits can also reduce the non-uniformity of the temperature, they are expected to supplement the efficiency and durability reduction of the PV modules caused by the hot spot phenomenon. In addition, it was shown that slits in the frame could further improve the cooling performance of the fins at a low-velocity airflow.


2017 ◽  
Vol 730 ◽  
pp. 563-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atthakorn Thongtha ◽  
Hoy Yen Chan ◽  
Paisit Luangjok

This study investigated the application of phase change material and fins into photovoltaic panel. The experimental design was divided into 2 cases: conventional photovoltaic and photovoltaic with phase change material and fins. The thermal performance and electrical efficiency was tested under the solar radiation simulator between 500 and 1000 W/m2. The insolation intensity was tested by an incident-light photometer. The power of the nine halogen lamps was controlled by a simple voltage control device. It was found that temperature of normal PV module is constant after the tested time of 20 minutes. The temperatures of PV module with phase change material and fins were lower than a normal PV module throughout the testing duration. Approximately 2-6% of photovoltaic module temperatures have decreased and this have improved the electrical efficiency of about 1-4%. This indicated the use of phase change material and fins is able to decrease the photovoltaic module temperature and thus increase the efficiency of photovoltaic module cooling.


Photovoltaic (PV) module is one of the simplest technologies to convert the solar energy into the useful electrical energy. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to develop a simplified analytical expression for solar cell temperature and solar cell electrical efficiency of opaque and semi-transparent photovoltaic module in the terms of design and climatic parameters. Based on the energy balance of opaque and semi-transparent PV module, the performance parameters, namely, solar cell temperature, solar cell electrical efficiency, module efficiency and electrical power output have been evaluated for a typical clear day of May month of New Delhi climatic condition data taken from IMD (Indian Meteorological Department), Pune, India. The numerical simulations have been made on the MATLAB software. Based on the numerical computation, the effect of back cover opaque and semitransparent tedlar of module on the performance parameters has been investigated. From the results and discussion, it is found that the performance of photovoltaic module is very sensitive to the module temperature. Further, it is concluded that the semi-transparent photovoltaic module is more efficient than the opaque one. Thus, by the application of semi-transparent PV module in the design of stand-alone and rooftop PV system, the overall energy requirement and performance can be improved for same occupied area.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8271
Author(s):  
Mariusz T. Sarniak

This paper proposes a modification to the design of a standard PV module by enclosing the skeleton space and using forced ventilation. The purpose of this research was to develop a method for calculating the amount of heat gained during PV module cooling. A simplifying assumption was to omit the electrical energy consumed by the fans forcing the airflow. For testing at low irradiance, a prototype halogen radiation simulator of our own design was used, which is not a standardized radiation source used for testing PV modules. Two measurements were also made under natural, stable solar radiation. The modified PV module was tested for three ventilation rates and compared with the results obtained for the standard PV module. In all tested cases, an increase in electrical efficiency of about 2% was observed with increasing radiation intensity. The thermal efficiency decreased by about 5% in the analyzed cases and the highest value of 10.47% was obtained for the highest value of cooling airflow rate. In conclusion, the study results represent a certain compromise: an increase in electrical efficiency with a simultaneous decrease in thermal efficiency.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Zhou ◽  
Liwei Liu ◽  
Lixiang Guo ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Xianzhou Wang

Abstract This paper presents CFD simulation results of the stern flap effect with different lengths for hydrodynamic performance of catamaran moving in calm water, including resistance and sailing attitude. Inhouse viscous CFD (computational fluid dynamics) code HUST-Ship (Hydrodynamic Unsteady Simulation Technology for Ship) is used for the study. The catamaran with/without stern flap with different lengths were studied. The trim and sinkage of the catamaran were solved coupled with flow solver. Experimental studies in calm water were conducted to validate the numerical method. The comparison of hydrodynamic performance of catamaran with stern flaps of different lengths was made. The results show that the stern flap can reduce the sailing attitude and has influence for the resistance of catamaran at high-speed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 677 ◽  
pp. 282-285
Author(s):  
F.J. Wang ◽  
C.M. Lai ◽  
Y.S. Huang ◽  
J.S. Huang

In this study, numerical simulation by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes were conducted to investigate the influence of alternative layouts for air distribution in a full scale newly constructed data center. Through the simulation of different airflow distribution patterns in the data center, the optimum practice for cooling airflow arrangement can be identified easily. The simulation results also revealed that the best practice with a vertical under floor cooling architecture can provide satisfactory airflow distribution and thermal management. Higher cooling performance can be achieved by providing better separation of cold and hot aisle stream. Rack cooling index (RCI) has been used to evaluate the cooling performance of environmental conditions for the data center facility. Numerical study through CFD simulation can not only identify the best practice for airflow distribution, but also provide the energy-efficient and cost-effective HVAC system specific for data center facility.


2022 ◽  
Vol 961 (1) ◽  
pp. 012065
Author(s):  
“Miqdam T Chaichan ◽  
Muhaned A H Zaidi ◽  
Hussein A. Kazem ◽  
K. Sopian

Abstract Today, photovoltaic modules have become accepted by the public and scientists in the production of clean electricity and as a possible alternative to electricity produced from fossil fuels. These modules suffer from a deterioration in their electrical efficiency as a result of their high temperature. Several researchers have proposed the use of high-efficiency hybrid photovoltaic (PV/T) systems that can cool PV modules and also produce hot water. Improving the PV modules’ electrical efficiency increases the investment attraction and commercialization of this technology. The possibility of restoring the electrical efficiency of the photovoltaic panel that was lost due to its high temperature was investigated in this study. A PV/T system designed to operate with a paraffin-filled thermal tank attached to the PV module was used. Inside the paraffin is a heat exchanger that circulates inside a nanofluid. This design is adopted to cool down the PV module temperature. The study was carried out in the climatic conditions of the month of May in the city of Baghdad - Iraq. The proposed PV/T system’s electrical efficiency was compared with similar systems from the literature. The proposed system has achieved an obvious enhancement as its electrical efficiency was 13.7%.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Dioari Ulrich Combari ◽  
Emmanuel Wendsongré Ramde ◽  
Bruno Korgo ◽  
Ramatou Saré ◽  
Martial Zoungrana ◽  
...  

In earlier studies, we have shown theoretically and experimentally that magnetic fields (MFs) have negative impact on silicon PV module (photovoltaic module). A noticeable decline in photocurrent with a slight increase in photovoltage was observed. Also, how those fields affected other key module’s parameters was also studied. These studies concluded that an increase in the magnitude of the MF resulted in the decrease of the efficiency of the silicon PV module. The previous experimental studies assumed that the MF vector formed zero angle of inclination with respect to the photosensitive face of the module. They did not factor in any effect that could be observed when the field vector is inclined. The present experimental work is an attempt to fill that gap. The characteristic curves of the PV module were plotted in the same system of axis for different values of the inclination angle of the MF vector. Correspondingly, the characteristic values ( P max , I max , V max , I sc , and V oc ) of the PV module were also determined. These parameters then allowed the calculation of the efficiency of the module, its fill factor, and the equivalent circuit series and shunt resistances. It is observed that the module efficiency increases with the inclination of the MF vector, indicating that the effect of the MF on the PV module is reduced when its vector aligns towards a direction that is perpendicular to the base of the module. For example, when α moves from 0 to 90°, the power output and consequently the efficiency of the PV module relatively increase of 14%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jalaluddin . ◽  
Baharuddin Mire

Actual performance of photovoltaic module with solar tracking is presented. Solar radiation can be converted into electrical energy using photovoltaic (PV) modules. Performance of polycristalline silicon PV modules with and without solar tracking are investigated experimentally. The PV module with dimension 698 x 518 x 25 mm has maximum power and voltage is 45 Watt and 18 Volt respectively. Based on the experiment data, it is concluded that the performance of PV module with solar tracking increases in the morning and afternoon compared with that of fixed PV module. It increases about 18 % in the morning from 10:00 to 12:00 and in the afternoon from 13:30 to 14:00 (local time). This study also shows the daily performance characteristic of the two PV modules. Using PV module with solar tracking provides a better performance than fixed PV module. 


Author(s):  
Alexander Vakhrushev ◽  
Abdellah Kharicha ◽  
Ebrahim Karimi-Sibaki ◽  
Menghuai Wu ◽  
Andreas Ludwig ◽  
...  

AbstractA numerical study is presented that deals with the flow in the mold of a continuous slab caster under the influence of a DC magnetic field (electromagnetic brakes (EMBrs)). The arrangement and geometry investigated here is based on a series of previous experimental studies carried out at the mini-LIMMCAST facility at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The magnetic field models a ruler-type EMBr and is installed in the region of the ports of the submerged entry nozzle (SEN). The current article considers magnet field strengths up to 441 mT, corresponding to a Hartmann number of about 600, and takes the electrical conductivity of the solidified shell into account. The numerical model of the turbulent flow under the applied magnetic field is implemented using the open-source CFD package OpenFOAM®. Our numerical results reveal that a growing magnitude of the applied magnetic field may cause a reversal of the flow direction at the meniscus surface, which is related the formation of a “multiroll” flow pattern in the mold. This phenomenon can be explained as a classical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effect: (1) the closure of the induced electric current results not primarily in a braking Lorentz force inside the jet but in an acceleration in regions of previously weak velocities, which initiates the formation of an opposite vortex (OV) close to the mean jet; (2) this vortex develops in size at the expense of the main vortex until it reaches the meniscus surface, where it becomes clearly visible. We also show that an acceleration of the meniscus flow must be expected when the applied magnetic field is smaller than a critical value. This acceleration is due to the transfer of kinetic energy from smaller turbulent structures into the mean flow. A further increase in the EMBr intensity leads to the expected damping of the mean flow and, consequently, to a reduction in the size of the upper roll. These investigations show that the Lorentz force cannot be reduced to a simple damping effect; depending on the field strength, its action is found to be topologically complex.


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