article · Journal of Cleaner Production
This research addresses the limitations of traditional photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems, such as low thermal power and fluid outlet temperature, by exploring optimal design configurations. A detailed numerical investigation compared a classical zigzag-plated tube cooling channel (Case A) with an innovative design (Case B). Case B features a cooling channel divided into three equal zigzag sections, each with multiple double-pass tubes and separate staggered inlets and outlets. Using computational fluid dynamics, both designs were simulated under varying solar radiation and coolant flow rates, employing water and air as coolants. The innovative Case B design demonstrated significant improvements, enhancing thermal efficiency by 7.23% for water-PVT and 15.75% for air-PVT, and electrical efficiency by 4.0% for water-PVT and 4.6% for air-PVT, compared to the reference system.
Improving the efficiency of solar photovoltaic thermal systems is crucial for sustainable energy production. This research offers a design modification that can enhance both electricity generation and domestic hot water production from a single solar collector, contributing to more effective use of solar energy for homes and businesses.
This early-stage research focuses on optimising the design of solar photovoltaic thermal collectors through numerical investigation. The findings could inform the development of more efficient PVT systems for generating both electricity and hot water, potentially benefiting manufacturers of solar energy equipment and end-users seeking improved energy solutions. The work suggests a pathway for enhancing the performance of future solar thermal products.
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In order to overcome the drawbacks of traditional photovoltaic thermal systems, including their limited thermal power, low thermal exergy, and heat transfer fluid outlet temperature, it becomes essential to explore the optimal design configuration of the system for maximization both electricity and domestic hot water generation. Therefore, a detailed numerical modeling and comparative performance analysis on a solar photovoltaic thermal collector (PVT) are conducted under two novel structures of the cooling channels. The first system is a reference PVT collector with a classical straight zigzag-plated tube cooling channel (Case A), while the second PVT system proposes an innovative design of flow cooling channel which is divided into three equal zigzag-plated tube sections (Case B). Each section is also split into three double pass tubes and has a separate inlet and outlet in a staggered manner corresponding to the section that precedes and follows it. The two proposed PVT structures are investigated through computational fluid dynamic simulation under solar radiation values ranging from 200 to 1000 W/m2 and coolant flow rates varying between 0.001 and 0.005 kg/s using both water and air as coolant. The obtained results confirm the significant potential of the modified configuration (Case B) that yielded an improvement in the thermal efficiency by 7.23% and 15.75% for water-PVT and air-PVT system, respectively, over the reference PVT system (Case A). Also, the modified configuration (Case B) yielded an enhancement in the electrical efficiency by 4.0% and 4.6% for water-PVT and air-PVT systems, respectively. It can be concluded that dividing the cooling channel area into equally mini zigzag plate tube-shaped sections with multiple reciprocal entrances is regarded a feasible configuration for augmenting the performance of PVT collectors and maintaining a uniform coolant flow and reduced temperature distribution over the entire panel.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140220
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