Thermal Modeling of Photovoltaic Thermal System with Polymer Sheet in Tube Absorber Collector

This study developed a thermal model of a photovoltaic thermal collector (PVT) to predict the performance and outlet temperature of the system. The PVT consisted of a polycrystalline photovoltaic module, a polymer collector–type sheet in a tube, and an insulator. The motivation of the present work is that the polymer materials are flexible, low cost and lightweight which are for the PVT applications. The outlet temperature of the PVT increased with the decreasing rate of mass flow into the riser because the water had sufficient time for thermal heating. One unit of polymer collector can achieve an outlet temperature of 69 °C at 500 W/m2 at a mass flow rate of 0.0063 kg/s.

Download Full-text

Theoretical Investigation of the Temperature Limits of an Actively Cooled High Concentration Photovoltaic System

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13081902 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1902 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Asmaa Ahmed ◽

Katie Shanks ◽

Senthilarasu Sundaram ◽

Tapas Kumar Mallick

Keyword(s):

Solar Cell ◽

Concentration Ratio ◽

Photovoltaic System ◽

Thermal System ◽

Outlet Temperature ◽

Water Mixture ◽

High Concentration ◽

Cell Temperature ◽

Photovoltaic Thermal System ◽

Different Types

Concentrator photovoltaics have several advantages over flat plate systems. However, the increase in solar concentration usually leads to an increase in the solar cell temperature, which decreases the performance of the system. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the performance and temperature limits of a high concentration photovoltaic Thermal system (HCPVT) based on a 1 cm2 multi-junction solar cell subjected to a concentration ratio from 500× to 2000× by using three different types of cooling fluids (water, ethylene glycol and water mixture (60:40), and syltherm oil 800). The results show that, for this configuration, the maximum volumetric temperature of the solar cell did not exceed the manufacturer’s recommended limit for the tested fluids. At 2000× the lowest solar cell temperature obtained by using water was 93.5 °C, while it reached as high as 109 °C by using syltherm oil 800, which is almost equal to the maximum operating limit provided by the manufacturer (110 °C). Overall, the best performance in terms of temperature distribution, thermal, and electrical efficiency was achieved by using water, while the highest outlet temperature was obtained by using syltherm oil 800.

Download Full-text

Experimental study on a high concentration photovoltaic/thermal system with plane mirrors array

Thermal Science ◽

10.2298/tsci171109264c ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (Suppl. 2) ◽

pp. 517-525

Author(s):

Haifei Chen ◽

Jie Yang ◽

Jie Ji ◽

Wenzhu Huang ◽

Gang Pei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Concentration Ratio ◽

Open Circuit Voltage ◽

Open Circuit ◽

Photovoltaic Module ◽

Thermal System ◽

Uniform Illumination ◽

High Concentration ◽

Electrical Efficiency ◽

Photovoltaic Thermal System ◽

The Cost

A high concentration photovoltaic/thermal system based on plane mirrors array has been developed and analyzed. It is found that the system with plane mirrors array not only can reduce the cost but also achieve a uniform illumination and adjustable concentration ratios. The system produces both electrical and thermal energy, with the electrical efficiency above 22% and the thermal efficiency above 47%. The experimental results show that the temperature coefficient of open circuit voltage in this photovoltaic module is around ?0.12 V/?C. Moreover, when the concentration ratio varies between 200 and 450, the decrease of electrical efficiency with the temperature is 0.08% per?C.

Download Full-text

Thermal Efficiency of the Photovoltaic Thermal System with Serpentine Tube Collector

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.699.455 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 699 ◽

pp. 455-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M.A.M. Rosli ◽

Suhaimi Misha ◽

Kamaruzzaman Sopian ◽

Sohif Mat ◽

Mohd Yusof Sulaiman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Efficiency ◽

Thermal Model ◽

Energy Resources ◽

Thermal System ◽

Renewable Energy Resources ◽

Photovoltaic Thermal System ◽

Reduced Temperature

Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system is one of the renewable energy resources that produce electric and thermal energy simultaneously. One of the key parameters to ensure good performance of the PVT is the design of the collector absorber. In this study, a thermal model of the PVT was developed to predict the thermal efficiency of the system. Simulations were conducted on four configurations of the serpentine tube. Results showed that the best design could achieve 50% thermal efficiency at zero reduced temperature. Our findings indicate that the shape, gap, and diameter of the tubes of the absorber are crucial to the good performance of the PVT.

Download Full-text

Validation Study of Photovoltaic Thermal Nanofluid Based Coolant Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach

CFD letters ◽

10.37934/cfdl.13.3.5871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 58-71

Author(s):

Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Rosli ◽

Yew Wai Loon ◽

Muhammad Zaid Nawam ◽

Suhaimi Misha ◽

Aiman Roslizar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fluid Dynamics ◽

Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽

Surface Temperature ◽

Validation Study ◽

Numerical Approach ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Thermal System ◽

Outlet Temperature ◽

Photovoltaic Thermal System ◽

Simulation Results

In the study, the photovoltaic thermal system using nanofluid as coolant is validated using numerical approach by comparing the experimental results and simulation results. Due to high cost and difficulty in preparing nanofluid, it is more practical to perform the study using numerical approach which is convenient and saves plenty of time. The photovoltaic thermal system is investigated numerically through Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach using Ansys 19.0 Fluent Software. The numerical study is based on different solar irradiation at different hours. The coolant that is selected in the study is aluminum oxide () water nanofluid. The validation study between the experimental results and simulation results are achieved by examining the photovoltaic (PV) surface temperature and nanofluid outlet temperature. The maximum percentage of error between experimental and simulation results of PV surface temperature and nanofluid outlet temperature are 12.66% and 7.89%. Also, the mean average percentage error (MAPE) are computed for PV surface temperature and nanofluid outlet temperature. The results for PV surface temperature and nanofluid outlet temperature are 10.31% and 6.67%. Since the MAPE results are within 10% or error, it proved that there is good accuracy between the simulation and experimental results.

Download Full-text