Solar Spectral Beam Splitting Simulation of Aluminum-Based Nanofluid Compatible with Photovoltaic Cells

Gang Wang (), Peng Chou, Yongxiang Li, Longyu Xia, Ye Liu and Gaosheng Wei
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Gang Wang: School of Energy Engineering, Xinjiang Institute of Engineering, Urumqi 830023, China
Peng Chou: Xinjiang Pengyu Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hami 839000, China
Yongxiang Li: Xinjiang Pengyu Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hami 839000, China
Longyu Xia: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Ye Liu: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Gaosheng Wei: School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: Solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems can simultaneously solve PV overheating and obtain high-quality thermal energy through nanofluid spectral splitting technology. However, the existing nanofluid splitting devices have insufficient short-wavelength extinction and stability defects. To achieve the precise matching of the nanofluid splitting performance with the optimal spectral window of the PV/T system, this paper carries out a relevant study on the optical properties of Al nanoparticles and proposes an Al@Ag nanoparticle. The optical behaviors of nanoparticles and nanofluids are numerically analyzed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and the Beer–Lambert law. The results demonstrate that adjusting particle size enables modulation of nanoparticle extinction performance, including extinction intensity and resonance peak range. The Al@Ag core–shell structure effectively mitigates the oxidation susceptibility of pure Al nanoparticles. Furthermore, coating Al nanoparticles with an Ag shell significantly enhances their extinction efficiency in the short-wavelength range (350–640 nm). After dispersing Al nanoparticles into water to form a nanofluid, the transmittance in the short-wavelength range is significantly reduced compared to pure water. Compared to 50 nm pure Al particles, the Al@Ag nanofluid further reduces the transmittance by up to 13% in the wavelength range of 350–650 nm, while having almost no impact on the transmittance in the photovoltaic window (640–1080 nm).

Keywords: nanofluid; photovoltaic/thermal; spectral beam splitting; time-domain finite difference method (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: 2025
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