A Simulation Study on Temperature Uniformity of Photovoltaic Thermal Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

The temperature distribution across the photovoltaic (PV) module in most cases is not uniform, leading to regions of hotspots. The cells in these regions perform less efficiently, leading to an overall lower PV module efficiency. They can also be permanently damaged due to high thermal stresses. To enable the high-efficiency operation and a longer lifetime of the PV module, the temperatures must not fluctuate wildly across the PV module. In this study, a custom absorber is designed based on literature to provide a more even temperature distribution across the PV module. This design is two standard sets of spiral absorbers connected. This design is relatively less complicated for this reason and it allows room for adjusting the pipe spacing without much complication. The absorber design is tested via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation using ANSYS Fluent 19.2, and the simulation model is validated by an experimental study with the highest percentage error of 9.44%. The custom and the serpentine absorber utilized in the experiment are simulated under the same operating conditions having water as the working fluid. The custom absorber design is found to have a more uniform temperature distribution on more areas of the PV module as compared to the absorber design utilized in the experiment, which leads to a lower average surface temperature of the PV module. This results in an increase in thermal and electrical efficiency of the PV module by 3.21% and 0.65%, respectively.

The Effect of Variation in Mass Flow Rate and Solar Irradiance on Temperature Uniformity and Thermal Performance of Photovoltaic Thermal: A Simulated CFD Study

“…This paper is a continuation of previous work by Rosli et al, [38], where a new absorber design for solar PVT was suggested to improve efficiency and to achieve a more uniform temperature distribution. The performance and the temperature uniformity of the new PVT system are simulated and validated.…”

“…The simulation model is verified with the experimental data taken from a study by Hosseinzadeh et al, [5]. The methodology is the same as in the study by Rosli et al, [38]. The custom absorber designed is shown in Figure 1.…”

“…The performance and the temperature uniformity of the new PVT system are simulated and validated. In this paper, the effect of two operating conditions namely mass flow rate, and solar irradiance on the performance and temperature uniformity of the PVT system fashioning the custom spiral absorber design is investigated using the same computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model used in the previous work [38]. The effect of mass flow rate and solar irradiance on the performance and temperature uniformity are well documented in literature.…”

“…However, the new design has a unique pipe arrangement. Therefore, the extent of their influence has not been tested for the custom absorber design introduced in previous work [38].…”

Simulation of Low Voltage DC-DC Booster Circuit with Improved Switch for Amplification of Biophotovoltaic Cell Output Voltage

“…Renewable energy sources today come mainly from wind and solar energy [1][2][3]. Biophotovoltaic (BPV) cells convert light energy into usable electrical energy by harvesting photo electrons excreted as by products from the photosynthetic activities of cyanobacteria and microalgae.…”