Researchers from the East have simulated a new PV thermal module with a thermo -electric generator above the absorbent layer, conical spiral -shaped tape in the cooling tube and a ferrofluid. These technologies reportedly contributed to increased PV efficiency and thermal efficiency with 2.12% and 23.34% respectively.
Scientists from Saudi Aarabia and Iraq have presented a new PV Thermal (PVT) module that integrates various techniques for cooling.
The new method uses a thermoelectric generator (Teg), conical spiral -shaped tape in the cooling tube and a ferroflïd controlled by a magnetic field. The module was simulated numerically using the Ansys Fluent software.
TEGS can convert heat into electricity through the “Seebeck effect”, which occurs when a temperature difference between two different semiconductors produces a voltage difference between two substances. The devices are often used for industrial applications to convert excess heat into electricity. However, their high costs and limited performance have limited their acceptance to now on a wider scale.
In contrast to the conventional use of Teg modules with PV, which are placed on the back of the panel, this research proposs is to place them above the Absorber layer. The cooling tube, placed on the back of the PVT module, is equipped with a conical tape to increase the jet decision. It is a field with a mixture of water (H2O) and magnetite (FE3O4), both for heat transfer and the magnetic responsiveness.
“The novelty of the current study lies in the extensive combination of multiple innovative performance, each of which tackles specific aspects of PV module optimization,” the researchers said. “This multidimensional approach distinguishes our study from existing literature and fills gaps in the current understanding of advanced PV technologies.”
The research team used Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) to control the movement of ferrofluid in the tube, adding an extra low optimization. The Hartmann number (HA), which defines the ratio of electromagnetic power to the fishing power, was used as a dimensionless factor that represents the magnetic power in the Y direction, the scientists said they are playing a key role in evaluating the impact of magnetic forces on the unit.
Image: Northern Border University, Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, CC by 4.0
The simulations showed that the values of photovoltaic efficiency, tile efficiency and thermal efficiency with approximately 2.12%, 74.29%and 23.34%respectively increased, with the rise in intake speed. However, an increase in HA leads to a decrease in the PV panel temperature and an increase in the uniformity of the PV panel temperature by around 5.56%.
“As the intake speed is increased, the intensified interaction of the nanofluïde with the upper wall leads to a reduction in panel temperature, which improves contour uniformity by approximately 51.2% and 58.19% for HA values of 0 and 90 respectively,” the researchers stressed. “Conversely, with an increase in in the intention speed = 0.09, the uniformity of photovoltaic panel temperature experiences a reduction of approximately 5.56%.”
The analysis also showed an increase in dust dissipation to the PV efficiency with 26.93%, tile efficiency with 17.45%and thermal efficiency with 9.78%. “Moreover, with an increase in ha, the values of tile efficiency and thermal efficiency show a decrease of approximately 8.21% and 2.91% in the absence of dust. The decrease in the thickness of the border layer with the increase in the integration speed contributes to an improvement in the cooling speed,” the team added.
The scientists also discovered that the combination of the four different cooling techniques presents a paradigm shift in the search for optimizing the PV module performance. “In the coming study, the application of a spectral Ferrofluid filter could be further investigated. Moreover, the use of porous media presents to increase the cooling speed in the tube zone, a different path for research,” they concluded.
The new PVT panel design was described in “Improving the efficiency of PVT module with spiral tape and magnetic cooling under dust deposit“Published in Case studies in thermal engineering.
Researchers from Saudi -Arabia Northern Border UniversityUniversity of Ha’il, Princess Nourh Bint Abdulrahman University, King Abdulaziz University, Prince Sattam bin Abdul-Aziz University and Iraq’s Warith al-Anbiyaa University and Al Safwa University College have contributed to the study.
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