Performance analysis of different flow rates and dust accumulation in micro heat pipe PV/T series system

Rui Li, Zijiao Jia, Xiaohua Sun, Jinping Li, Panpan Zhai and Vojislav Novakovic

Renewable Energy, 2025, vol. 241, issue C

Abstract: Photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems have considerable potential in China's northwest regions due to their abundant solar resources. Previous studies have generally improved system performance through increased investment. In contrast, this manuscript focuses on identifying and addressing the primary thermal resistance within the system, which lies between the heat exchanger (HE) and water, without additional financial input. To explore this, we examined how different water flow rates affect the performance of micro heat pipe (M-HP) PV/T systems. Furthermore, since northwestern China is cold and arid with scarce precipitation, we conducted a 10-day dust accumulation test in Lanzhou under dry conditions to mimic real-world weather conditions. Our research revealed that at a flow rate of 0.36 L/s, the thermal conversion efficiency (TCE) and photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) achieved maximum average values of 38.0 % and 15.9 %, respectively, resulting in a total efficiency of 53.9 %. This represents an increase in total efficiency by 7.4 % and 13.5 % compared to flow rates of 0.26 L/s and 0.16 L/s, respectively. Additionally, the average TCE and total efficiency were 0.5 % and 0.7 % higher, respectively, for one day of dust accumulation compared to ten days.

Keywords: Solar radiation; Rectangular micro heat pipe series PV/T system; Flow rate; Dust accumulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:241:y:2025:i:c:s0960148124023772

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.122309

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