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Thermodynamic Investigation of a Photovoltaic/Thermal Heat Pipe Energy System Integrated with Phase Change Material

  • Research Article-Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract

Photovoltaic panels may capture up to 80% of the sun’ radiant energy; however, depending on the panel composition, only a small portion is converted to electricity. The remaining energy causes the surface temperature of the panel to increase. Temperature rise at the panel’s surface is a critical problem affecting efficiency and shortening panel lifespan; hence, thermal management of the photovoltaic module during operation is vital. Hybrid designs that cogenerate electricity and heating (hot water or space heating) have been proven to be a feasible solution. A photovoltaic panel coupled with heat pipes and phase change materials could be a promising solution to generate electricity and utilize the waste heat simultaneously. This paper presents a mathematical approach to examine the dynamic performance of the photovoltaic thermal panel integrated with phase change material and heat pipe (HP-PV/T-PCM) setup. Furthermore, a comparison study is conducted to compare the simulation and experimental test results to validate the proposed model’s accuracy. The effects of melting point temperature of phase change material, water flow rate, and the heat pipes number on the main output parameters of the proposed setup are investigated. The results show that adding the PCM layer to the system increases the heat gain by 7.58%. At the design condition, daily average electrical and thermal power outputs could reach 58.56 and 277.167 W/m2 for the HP-PV/T-PCM system and 57.53 and 257.642 W/m2 for the HP-PV/T system, respectively. In addition, the daily average thermal, electrical, and overall efficiencies are obtained at 46.33%, 9.79%, and 53.65% for the HP-PV/T-PCM system and 43.06%, 9.62%, and 50.18% for the HP-PV/T system, respectively. Hence, compared with the PVT/HP setup, the electrical, thermal, and overall efficiencies of the PVT/HP/PCM system have increased by 1.77%, 7.59%, and 6.92%, respectively.

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Abbreviations

HP:

Heat pipe

PVT:

Photovoltaic/thermal

PCM:

Phase change material

PV:

Photovoltaic

\(\mathrm{EVA}\) :

Ethylene-vinyl acetate

TPT:

Tedlar–polyester–tellar

\(\mathrm{SWH}\) :

Solar water heating

BIPVT:

Building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal

RC:

Radiative cooling

A :

Area (m2)

B :

Temperature function of PCM layer (–)

\(C\) :

Specific heat capacity (J/(kg K))

\(d\) :

Diameter (m)

\(G\) :

Solar radiation intensity (W/m2)

\(h\) :

Heat transfer coefficient (W/(m2 K)), Enthalpy (kJ/K)

K :

Thermal conductivity (W/(m K))

\(L\) :

Length (m)

\(\mathrm{LH}\) :

Latent heat (kJ/kg)

\(M\) :

Mass (kg)

\(\dot{m}\) :

Mass flow rate (kg/s)

\(\mathrm{Nu}\) :

Nusselt number (–)

\(P\) :

Output power (W)

\(Q\) :

Heat gain (W)

R :

Thermal resistance (K/W)

\(T\) :

Temperature (°C or K)

\(t\) :

Time (s)

\(u\) :

Wind velocity (m/s)

\({X}\) :

PCM melting fraction (–)

\({W}\) :

Width (m)

\(\alpha \) :

Absorptivity (–)

\(\beta \) :

Temperature coefficient (–)

\(\gamma \) :

PV cells coverage ratio (–)

\(\delta \) :

Thickness (m)

\(\varepsilon \) :

Emissivity (–)

\(\eta \) :

Efficiency

\(\theta \) :

Angle (deg)

\(\rho \) :

Density (kg/m3, reflectance)

\(\sigma \) :

Stefan–Boltzmann constant (W/(m2K4))

\(\tau \) :

Transmittance (–)

\((\tau \alpha )\) :

Transmittance–absorptance product (–)

\(\mu \) :

Dynamic viscosity (pa s)

\(a\) :

Ambient

\(\mathrm{ad}\) :

Adhesive layer

\(b\) :

Base panel

\(c\) :

Collector

\(\mathrm{con}\) :

Condenser section of heat pipe

\(\mathrm{ele}\) :

Electrical

\(\mathrm{eva}\) :

Evaporator section of heat pipe

\(g\) :

Glass cover

\(\mathrm{gap}\) :

Air gap between the glass cover and the PV plate

Hp:

Heat pipe

I :

Inner

in:

Insulation

\(j\) :

Differential node “j”

\(l\) :

Liquid

\(o\) :

Outer

\(\mathrm{overall}\) :

Overall

\(\mathrm{pv}\) :

PV cell

\(r\) :

Reference

\(\mathrm{sky}\) :

Sky

\(\mathrm{th}\) :

Thermal

\(v\) :

Vapor

\(w\) :

Water

\(\mathrm{wick}\) :

Wick of the heat pipe

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qassim University, 56452, Unaizah, Saudi Arabia

    Ali Sulaiman Alsagri

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Alsagri, A.S. Thermodynamic Investigation of a Photovoltaic/Thermal Heat Pipe Energy System Integrated with Phase Change Material. Arab J Sci Eng 49, 2625–2643 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08362-y

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