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PCM-based hybrid thermal management system for photovoltaic modules: A comparative analysis

  • Application of Phase Change Materials in Solar Energy Systems
  • Published:
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Abstract

Proper temperature regulation of photovoltaic (PV) modules increases their performance. Among various cooling techniques, phase change materials (PCMs) represent an effective thermal management route, thanks to their large latent heat at constant temperatures. Radiative cooling (RC) is also recently explored as a passive option for PV temperature regulation. In this paper, a heat sink (HS), phase change materials, and radiative cooling are integrated with photovoltaic modules to achieve low and uniform temperature distribution along the PV module and improved performance. Eight different combinations are considered for the proposed system, including HS, PCM, and RC, and their various combinations. The PCM is selected according to the environmental conditions of the selected location. A comprehensive 2-D model is developed and analyzed in COMSOL-Multiphysics software by solving the governing equations using the finite element method. The performance analysis is carried out for the climatic conditions of the Atacama Desert, having high solar radiation and ambient temperature. The effects of PCM height, ambient temperature, wind velocity, and solar radiation on the performance of the proposed system are studied. The performance of eight different configurations is also compared. The maximum reductions in PV temperature, maximum PV power, and a minimum drop in PV conversion efficiency are observed to be 22 oC, 152 W, and 14% using a combined heat sink and radiative cooling systems, among all other configurations. The findings of this study can be used to select the best PV cooling method among different configurations.

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Data availability

All data are given in the manuscript.

Abbreviations

A :

Area (m2)

c p :

Specific heat capacity (J/kg K)

c 0 :

Speed of light (m/s)

c 2 :

Constant

e :

Emissive power (W/m2)

E :

Energy (J)

F ext :

External incident radiation

FEP i :

Fractional blackbody emissive power

\({\overrightarrow{F}}_{B}\) :

Buoyancy term vector

g :

Gravitational acceleration (m/s2)

G :

Solar radiation (W/m2)

h P :

Planck constant (J s)

h :

Sensible enthalpy (J/kg)

h c :

Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2K)

H :

Enthalpy (J/kg)

J :

Radiosity (W/m2)

k :

Thermal conductivity (W/mK)

k b :

Boltzmann constant (J/K)

L :

Latent heat of fusion (J/kg)

n :

Unit vector

P :

Pressure (Pa)

Pr:

Prandtl number

q :

Heat flux (W/m2)

q i :

Internal heat generation per unit volume (W/m3)

Re:

Reynolds number

\(\overrightarrow{S}\) :

Source term vector

t :

Time

T :

Temperature (K)

u :

Velocity component in the x-direction (m/s)

V :

Volume (m3/s)

v :

Velocity component in the y-direction (m/s)

V p :

Velocity of solidified mass dragged out of computation domain (m/s)

\(\overrightarrow{V}\) :

Velocity vector

α :

Absorptivity

α s :

Thermal diffusivities of solid (m2/s)

α l :

Thermal diffusivities of liquid (m2/s)

β :

Thermal expansion coefficient or temperature coefficient of efficiency (K−1)

δ :

Small number (10−3)

σ :

Stefan-Boltzmann constant (W/m2K4)

ε :

Surface emissivity factor

λ :

Liquid fraction

ρ :

Density (kg/m3)

ρ d :

Reflectivity

μ :

Dynamic viscosity (kg/ms)

θ :

Inclination angle

ƞ :

Efficiency

τ :

Transmissivity

amb:

Ambient

b:

Blackbody

e:

Electrical

i :

i-Th layer

l:

Liquid phase

m:

Melting

pcm:

Phase change material

PV:

Photovoltaic

p:

Constant pressure

ref:

Reference

s:

Solid phase

sun:

Sun

x :

x Direction

y :

y Direction

CPV:

Concentrated photovoltaic

HS:

Heat sink

LHSCS:

Latent heat storage and cooling system

PV/T:

Photovoltaic/thermal

PCM:

Phase change material

PV:

Photovoltaic

RC:

Radiative cooling

TEG:

Thermoelectric generator

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, Malaviya Nagar, Jaipur, 302017, Rajasthan, India

    Ravita Lamba

  2. Departamento de Ciencias de la Energía y Mecánica, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, P.O. Box 171, 5-231B, Sangolquí, Ecuador

    Francisco Javier Montero

  3. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Metalúrgica, Escuela de Ingeniería, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, 7820436, Santiago de Chile, Chile

    Francisco Javier Montero

  4. School of Mechanical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, South Korea

    Tauseef-ur Rehman

  5. Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology, Modipuram, Meerut, 250 110, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Sarveshwar Singh

  6. Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chennai, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India

    Sundararaj Manikandan

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  1. Ravita Lamba
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  2. Francisco Javier Montero
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  3. Tauseef-ur Rehman
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  4. Sarveshwar Singh
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  5. Sundararaj Manikandan
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Contributions

Ravita Lamba contributed to conceptualization, visualization, investigation, methodology, writing, reviewing, and editing. Francisco Javier Montero contributed to conceptualization, software, and writing–original draft. Sarveshwar Singh contributed to visualization, methodology and writing, reviewing, and editing. Tauseef-ur-Rehman and Manikandan Sundararaj contributed to reviewing and editing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tauseef-ur Rehman.

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Highlights

• The heat sink (HS), PCM, and radiative cooling (RC) are explored for PV thermal management.

• A 2-D model of the PV + PCM + HS + RC system is developed and analyzed in COMSOL Multiphysics software.

• PV performance is analyzed for eight combinations of HS, PCM, and RC.

• The effects of PCM height, ambient temperature, wind velocity, and solar radiation on PV performance are analyzed.

• RC + HS is the best configuration among all other configurations for the desert location.

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Lamba, R., Montero, F.J., Rehman, Tu. et al. PCM-based hybrid thermal management system for photovoltaic modules: A comparative analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27809-1

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