Experimental and Numerical Analyses of a Flat Plate Photovoltaic/Thermal Solar Collector

Francesco Calise, Rafal Damian Figaj and Laura Vanoli
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Francesco Calise: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Rafal Damian Figaj: Department of Engineering, University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale IS.C4, 80143 Naples, Italy
Laura Vanoli: Department of Engineering, University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale IS.C4, 80143 Naples, Italy

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: This paper presents a one-dimensional finite-volume model of an unglazed photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) solar collector. The unit consists of a conventional solar photovoltaic (PV) collector coupled with a suitable heat exchanger. In particular, the collector includes a roll bond heat exchanger and it is not equipped with back and frame insulation. The system is discretized along the flow direction (longitudinal) of the cogenerative collector. For each finite-volume element of the discretized computational domain, mass and energy balances are implemented. The collector geometry and materials parameters are taken from a commercially available device. An on-field experimental investigation is performed in order to validate the proposed model. The model is used to evaluate both electrical and thermodynamic parameters for each element of the domain and for fixed operating conditions. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is also performed in order to investigate the energetic performance of the cogenerative collector as a function of the main design/environmental parameters.

Keywords: photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collector; finite volume; one-dimensional; experimental validation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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