A numerical investigation of the effect of a heat sink with sinusoidal fins on the performance of high-concentrated solar cells

Abstract

This investigation emphases on the performance of a solar cell with a 1 m2 area, using a micro-channel heat sink as a cooling unit. The goal is to explore the optimal design of the sinusoidal geometry of the cooling heat sink to intensify output power, enhance cooling, and minimize the negative impact of heat on solar cells under high radiation, thus extending their lifespan. The study employs simulation and modeling in ANSYS FLUENT software v2021 to analyze the impact of different factors on solar cell treatment. Fourteen designs are tested, varying in the number, frequency, and wavelength of fin sine waves used in the thermal heat sinks. Furthermore, the investigation evaluates the influence of operational factors like the velocity of fluid and the intensity of applied radiation on efficiency and exergy. The outputs demonstrated that augmenting the sinusoidal fins in the cooling fluid (from 5 to 21) leads to a maximum electrical perfomance of 38.52 % for the solar cell. Expanding the sine wave's amplitude can improve efficiency from 38.41 % to 38.69 %. Similarly, decreasing the wavelength leads to efficiency gains from 38.43 % to 38.56 %. In the best-case scenario, efficiency is meaningfully improved when the flow rate is augmented from 20 to 100 g/min. The efficiency increases exponentially from 37.16 % to 38.97 %.