Thermal and Electrical Performance Evaluation and Design Optimization of Hybrid PV/T Systems

Al-Damook, Moustafa; Qubeissi, Mansour Al; Khatir, Zinedine; Dixon-Hardy, Darron; Heggs, Peter J.

doi:10.1007/978-981-33-4765-6_137

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Therefore, lowering the temperature of the PV modules enables them to operate close to their optimum performance. The researchers studied several methods of cooling PV modules such as air [8], water [9], nanofluids [10], PCMs [11], and nano-PCM cooling [12]. In the past decade, most researchers have emphasized the use of PV/T systems, which combine a photovoltaic module and a thermal collector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adding Nano-TiO2 to Water and Paraffin to Enhance Total Efficiency of a Photovoltaic Thermal PV/T System Subjected to Harsh Weathers

et al. 2022

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Iraq is characterized by hot and sunny weather with high radiation intensity. These conditions are suitable to produce photovoltaic electricity, on the one hand, but on the other hand are not suitable for photovoltaic modules whose efficiency decreases with increasing temperature. In this study, a photovoltaic module was practically cooled by two PV/T systems, one cooled by water and the other by nanofluid and nano-paraffin. Iraqi-produced paraffin was used in this study for its cheap price, and because its melting and freezing temperature (46 °C) is close to the operating range of photovoltaic modules. Nano-TiO2 was adopted as an additive to water and paraffin. The study results showed an obvious enhancement of the thermal conductivity of both water and paraffin, by up to 126.6% and 170%, respectively, after adding a 2% mass fraction of nano-TiO2. The practical experiments were carried out outdoors in the city of Baghdad, Iraq. A fluid mass flow rate of 0.15 kg/s was selected for practical reasons, since at this rate the system operates without vibration. The PV panel’s temperature, in the PV/T system (nano-fluid and nano-paraffin), decreased by an average of 19 °C when the tested systems operated during the peak period (12 PM to 3 PM). The decrease in temperatures of the PV module caused a clear improvement in its electrical efficiency, as it was 106.5% and 57.7% higher than the PV module (standalone) and water-cooled PV system, respectively. The thermal efficiency of this system was 43.7% higher than the case of the water-cooled PV/T system. The proposed system (nano-fluid and nano-paraffin) provides a greater possibility of controlling the heat capacity and increasing both efficiencies (electrical and thermal), when compared to a standalone PV module, in harsh Iraqi weather.

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