Time-Resolved Temperature Map Prediction of Concentration Photovoltaics Systems by Means of Coupled Ray Tracing Flux Analysis and Thermal Quadrupoles Modelling

Abstract

A transient 3D thermal model based on the thermal quadrupole method, coupled to ray tracing analysis, is presented. This methodology can predict transient temperature maps under any time-fluctuating irradiance flux—either synthetic or experimental—providing a useful tool for the design and parametric optimization of concentration photovoltaics systems. Analytic simulations of a concentration photovoltaics system thermal response and assessment of in-plane thermal gradients induced by fast tracking point perturbations, like those induced by wind, are provided and discussed for the first time. Computation times for time-resolved temperature maps can be as short as 9 s for a full month of system operation, with stimuli inspired by real data. Such information could pave the way for more accurate studies of cell reliability under any set of worldwide irradiance conditions.

Optimum heat spreader size for producing maximum net power from high‐concentration photovoltaic systems

“…The average wind speed in Kunmig during the autumn season is 1.94 m/s (www.weatherspark.com), and the present results showed that the power consumed by the tracker was 3.608 W, which represents a 0.5% deviation from the experimental data. Furthermore, the present results of power consumed by the tracker were also compared with the one-year experimental results from the practical field operation of the 9 kW HCPV FIGURE 5 Top view of optimal heat spreader of photovoltaic module segment system constructed in Kunming, China [43]. Their system consisted of 96 modules, and each had 24 solar cells.…”

“…This process lowers the number of required PV cells that are needed to generate equivalent electrical power. CPVs stipulate the use of highly efficient (>45%) multi-junction cells for which their efficiency increases logarithmically with concen-tration [5]. Furthermore, according to Norton et al, concentrating photovoltaic systems that use multi-junction cells may withstand suboptimal conditions due to variations in the solar spectrum [6].…”

“…Chou et al modeled the thermal management of an HCPV system using finite element analysis [8]. Theristis et al developed a thermal model to predict the heat output and analyse a 500×-concentrated PV cell's most efficient and cost-effective cooling system [5]. They showed that passive cooling of a CPV system with a concentration ratio (CR) of 500x is insufficient to maintain the cells below 80 • C, especially in high ambient temperatures.…”