555 / 2019-01-14 22:00:45

Performance analysis of a novel photovoltaic/thermal module with impinging jet of microencapsulated phase change material slurry

Photovoltaic/thermal module; Microencapsulated phase change material; Impinging jet; Numerical simulation; Exergy efficiency

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A photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) module is a new hybrid technology that simultaneously produces electricity and heat. Impinging jet of Microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) slurry is proposed to integrate with a PV/T module in this paper, to improve heat transfer rates and temperature uniformity of PV panel for elevating the module overall performance of a PV/T module. MPCM slurry can be formed by uniformly dispersing small enough MPCM particles (i.e. PCM microcapsules) and making them suspended in a carrier liquid (such as water). Impinging jet can be realized by a jet plate with a series of uniformly spaced orifices. It is noteworthy that the introduction of impinging jet of MPCM slurry leads to increased friction power penalty. This paper presents the performances of a PV/T module with impinging jet of MPCM slurry in the form of temperature uniformity, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency, and compared to PV/T modules with parallel flow of MPCM slurry and with impinging jet of pure water. The numerical simulations have been conducted on the effect of the inlet velocity, MPCM concentration, jet diameter, streamwise and spanwise pitch. Based upon the simulation, it has been concluded that impinging jet of MPCM slurry performs better in the module performance improvement than the parallel flow of MPCM slurry and impinging jet of pure water for specified range of key parameters. The optimum temperature uniformity, electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency have been achieved and the corresponding optimal parameters for a PV/T module with impinging jet of MPCM slurry in the range of investigated system and operating parameters. This study can provide significant guidance for the optimized design and the overall performance of a novel PV/T module.