Effect of New Ellipse Design on the Performance Enhancement of PV/T Collector: CDF Approach

Abstract

Photovoltaic and thermal collectors are combined via a photo­voltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector system to increase collector efficiency. The efficiency of photovoltaic collectors is known to decrease when ambient temperature increases and vice versa. PV/T collector systems function by absorbing the heat gained from the sun via photovoltaic panels and by converting this heat into electrical energy. Simulations CFD have been investigated to explore the impact of different mass flow rates against photovoltaic and thermal efficiencies of PVT collector using FVM. New ellipse design of collectors have been modeled and investigated to generate hot water and electricity. In this simulation, the absorber collectors were assumed to be attached underneath the photovoltaic (PV) module, and water is used as a heat transfer medium in absorber collectors. The results shown that new ellipse absorber collector generates a combined PV/T efficiency of 74.3% with electrical efficiency of 13.78%. The efficiency of the PV/T system should be improved further by developed the surfaces between the absorber and solar panel (PV module). However, different types of PV cells, such as amorphous silicon cells with black mat surface properties, should be used to improve the thermal absorption of PV/T systems. Highlights: (i) A three-dimension hybrid photovoltaic/thermal solar collector module was performed in CFD software; (ii) The results agree with those obtained through steady-state characterization; (iii) The simultaneous use of new ellipse design of absorber, which absorbs much more thermal energy compared to other normal designs, increase thermal and electrical efficiency significantly.