Performance Enhancement of Photovoltaic-Thermal Modules Using a New Environmentally Friendly Paraffin Wax and Red Wine-rGO/H 2 O Nanofluid

Hossein Nabi, Mosayeb Gholinia, Mehdi Khiadani and Abdellah Shafieian ()
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Hossein Nabi: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Babol 47166-85635, Iran
Mosayeb Gholinia: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Babol Noushirvani University of Technology, Babol 47148-71167, Iran
Mehdi Khiadani: School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA 6027, Australia
Abdellah Shafieian: School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Perth, WA 6027, Australia

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Photovoltaic/thermal systems are one of the most efficient types of solar collectors because they absorb solar radiation and generate electricity and heat simultaneously. For the first time, this paper presents an investigation into the impact of red wine-rGO/H 2 O nanofluid and paraffin wax on the thermohydraulic properties of a photovoltaic/thermal system. The study focuses on three innovative nonlinear arrangements of the serpentine tubes. The effects of these materials and configurations are analyzed through numerical simulations. To improve the performance, environmentally friendly materials, including red wine-rGO/H 2 O nanofluid and paraffin wax, have been used. Various performative parameters such as electrical and thermal efficiency of the photovoltaic/thermal system, exergy, and nanofluid concentration were investigated. The results demonstrated a significant enhancement in the system’s performance when using innovative serpentine tubes instead of simple tubes for the fluid flow path. The use of paraffin C18 increases electrical efficiency, while the use of paraffin C22 improves thermal efficiency. Moreover, the incorporation of phase change materials along with the utilization of innovative geometries in the serpentine tube led to a notable improvement in the outlet temperature of the fluid, increasing it by 2.43 K. Simultaneously, it substantially reduced the temperature of the photovoltaic cells, lowering it by 21.55 K. In addition, the new model demonstrated significant improvements in both thermal and electrical efficiency compared to the simple model. Specifically, the maximum thermal efficiency improvement reached 69.2%, while the maximum electrical efficiency improvement reached 11.7%.

Keywords: photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems; eco-friendly nanofluid; thermal efficiency; electrical efficiency; PCM:C18; PCM:C22 (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: 2023
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