Investigation of Mono-Crystalline Photovoltaic Active Cooling Thermal System for Hot Climate of Pakistan

Muhammad Asim (), Jassinnee Milano, Hassan Izhar Khan, Muhammad Hanzla Tahir, M. A. Mujtaba (), Abd Halim Shamsuddin (), Muhammad Abdullah and M. A. Kalam
Additional contact information
Muhammad Asim: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 39161, Pakistan
Jassinnee Milano: Institute of Sustainable Energy, University Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Malaysia
Hassan Izhar Khan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 39161, Pakistan
Muhammad Hanzla Tahir: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 39161, Pakistan
M. A. Mujtaba: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 39161, Pakistan
Abd Halim Shamsuddin: Institute of Sustainable Energy, University Tenaga Nasional, Kajang 43000, Malaysia
Muhammad Abdullah: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 39161, Pakistan
M. A. Kalam: Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-17

Abstract: Climate change is causing adverse and diverse effects on human beings in term of severe diseases, melting of ice, and increase temperatures, which are directly linked to the consumption of traditional fossil fuels. These fuels can only be replaced by exploring renewable energy technologies, and photovoltaic solar modules are the most promising choice among them. This paper investigates electrical output in term of efficiency and power of a monocrystalline photovoltaic module under climatic conditions of Lahore, Pakistan in an effort to enhance electrical performance based on laminar and turbulent flow boundary conditions. A computational model of a PV module was designed and investigated, when the solar irradiance was observed to be maximum at 920.64 W/m 2 . Initially, the total flux received and absorbed by PV module was observed to be at 179.37 W/m 2 after ray tracing analysis in Trace Pro; thereafter, the module’s temperature increased to 65.86 °C, causing an electrical efficiency drops to 15.65% from 19.40% without applying active cooling schemes. A coupling of Ansys Fluent and Steady State Thermal Analysis was performed for thermal management of a PV module by selecting water and air as a coolant at inlet temperature of 25 °C through microchannels contingent upon varying Reynolds numbers. The results maintained that the optimum coolant outlet temperature (49.86 °C), average PV cell’s layer temperature (32.42 °C), and temperature uniformity (4.16 °C) are achieved by water at 224, 6710, and 4200 Reynolds numbers respectively. In addition, again water maintained 18.65% of electrical efficiency and 33.65 W power output at 6710 Reynolds number. On the other hand, air-based cooling lagged behind water by 14% in term of efficiency and power output at maximum Reynolds number (6710).

Keywords: photovoltaic system; thermal management; active cooling; water and air; microchannels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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