Three-dimensional numerical investigation of a hybrid low concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system

Mostafa M. Abd El-Samie, Xing Ju, Zheyang Zhang, Saadelnour Abdueljabbar Adam, Xinyu Pan and Chao Xu

Energy, 2020, vol. 190, issue C

Abstract: Concentrated photovoltaic/thermal hybrid collectors have received ever-increasing attention due to the simultaneous output of electric and thermal energy. For further improvement of concentrated hybrid PV/T systems, a simulation method combining the multiphysics fields is necessary to accurately analyze the optical, thermal, and electric performance. Herein, a three-dimensional numerical study has been conducted on a low concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system utilizing a heat transfer fluid as the cooling medium and a compound parabolic concentrator as the mirror field. A finite volume (FV)-CFD code has been employed to simulate the entire model, where the optical modelling is validated theoretically with the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The influences of employing various heatsink designs (U-type and Z-type) and coolants (water, ethylene glycol, and therminol VP-1) are numerically investigated. The economic feasibility of the hybrid PV/T system is also assessed in comparison with the standalone PV-cell. Good compatibility with the empirical data was obtained when the appropriate modelling tunings were applied. It is also shown that, on a typical day, the total energy and exergy efficiencies of the system are up to 57.66% and 7.94%, respectively. The Z-type heatsink decreases the average PV-cell temperature than the U-type design, and also the output power is slightly enhanced.

Keywords: Photovoltaic/thermal system; FV-DO radiation method; Energy and exergy analysis; Heat sink (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:190:y:2020:i:c:s0360544219321310

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2019.116436

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