Impact of frame perforations on passive cooling of photovoltaic modules: CFD analysis of various patterns

Abstract

Geometry of the frames used in a photovoltaic (PV) module affects the fluid flow and heat transfer around the system. As a method of passive cooling, various perforation patterns are introduced into the aluminum frame of a PV module, and the resulting flow field, temperature distribution, and power output are investigated in the present study. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed in the cases of forced (wind velocity of 4 m/s) and natural convection (zero wind velocity). After comparing two types of conventional frames with a frameless module, different perforation patterns are utilized and the resulting flow field and heat transfer distributions are carefully investigated for the equivalent heat flux value of 600 W/m2. Results show that perforations are effective in case of natural convection, in which a 3.8 K temperature drop is observed in the best case. However, the average PV temperature is almost the same in forced convection. Finally, two selected designs are studied in different typical weather conditions. As a result, the frame with 10 mm circular perforations on all sides achieves a 0.62% improvement in power generation in the temperate climate and zero wind velocity compared to the panel with a conventional frame.