Thermal Performance Of System Research Articles

Thermal storage performance of a novel shell-and-tube latent heat storage system: Active role of inner tube improvement and fin distribution optimization

This study presents a numerical analysis of the melting process in a shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system, featuring a twisted elliptical inner tube with annular fins. Utilizing paraffin as the phase change material (PCM) and water as the heat transfer fluid (HTF), this research examines the impact of varying twist degrees, fin quantity and fin distribution on the system's thermal performance during melting process. The analysis of the melting process includes complete melting time, temperature, and the contour of the solid-liquid interface. Notably, the study identifies that both fin quantity and distribution play a significant role in the melting process. The findings indicate that an optimal configuration, comprising a 720° twisted degree, 11 fins, and a base number a of 0.80, enhances the melting efficiency of the LHTES system by 156.44 % and reduces ineffective heat loss by 41.36 %. These results highlight the potential advantages of the twisted elliptical inner tube structure and propose an innovative approach with an exponentially non-uniform fin distribution, marking an advancement in the field of thermal energy storage.

Viability of an Open-Loop Heat Pump Drying System in South African Climatic Conditions

Drying agricultural produce consumes a considerable amount of energy. As an energy-efficient system, a heat pump can improve the energy efficiency of the drying process and hence reduce the energy consumption, especially in South Africa, where both sub-tropical and temperate weather conditions dominate. The objective of this research is to experimentally investigate the impacts of weather conditions on the operational conditions and thermal performance of an open-loop air-source heat pump drying system. The experimental investigation was conducted in a climate chamber where the climate conditions were simulated from −10 °C to 20 °C with an interval of 10 °C for the typical temperature range of the harvesting season in South Africa. The findings indicate that ambient temperatures have a significant impact on both the operating conditions and thermal performance of an open-loop heat pump system; the change in ambient temperatures from −10 °C to 20 °C leads to a 141.6% improvement in the suction pressure, a 214.2% increase in the discharge pressure, and 30.1% increase in the compression ratio, as well as a consequent increase of 130.6% in the refrigerant mass flow rate (from 0.0067 to 0.0155 kg/s), resulting in a corresponding increase in the coefficient of performance (COP) of the heat pump drying system by about 42.1%. Therefore, this study suggests that, while using an open-loop air-source heat pump drying system utilising R134a refrigerant is feasible in South Africa, it may be practically limited to regions with warm climates or during warmer seasons.

Numerical simulation and thermal analysis of water circulation cooling pipe of pressurized hydrogen ship-board cylinders

In this paper, a direct cooling pipe for hydrogen inside the marine hydrogen storage cylinder (HSC) was designed, and the cooling pipe was simulated and analyzed under different cooling structures and different cooling fluids using ANSYS(Fluent) 2022 R2. The simulation results show that the effect of different cooling fluids on the temperatures were nearly the same. The heat transfer coefficients, however, of various fluids were different, and the cooling temperature was also different after cooling for the same time. The cooling structures mainly affect the cooling rate of the hydrogen due to the contact area with hydrogen inside the HSC. Among the three structures investigated in this study, the cooling capacity of the spiral layout was increased by 0.85 % and 0.63 %, respectively, compared to the rectangular and wavy layout. The rectangular layout has the certain cooling effect, however, in comparison to the spiral tube structure, it has too many corners, which increases the hindering effect on the flow of cooling medium inside the tubes and affects the cooling efficiency. The wavy layout has the largest contact area, but it has the problems of uneven cooling and occupying a large amount of hydrogen storage space. Among the three structures, comprehensively speaking, the spiral layout is considered to be the optimal. The optimal performance parameters were determined by comparing the simulation results of the three layouts during cooling process with hydrogen charging being performed. The results show that the cooling pipe can achieve the hydrogen temperature to be controlled within 358 K before the hydrogen pressure in the HSC reaches 70 MPa, and the maximum temperature is 336.07 K was obtained after the completion of hydrogen filling. This paper gives technical information for optimizing the thermal performance and safety of the hydrogen fueling system.

Study on damaged expanded water-repellent perlite insulation integrating neural network and simulation on temperature field and Boil-off Rate in a Liquefied Natural Gas Cargo Containment

The temperature field and Boil-off Rate (BOR) of the cargo containment system (CCs) in the LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) carrier are directly impacted by the thermal performance of insulation, which has an adverse effect on the structural safety and commercial feasibility of LNG transportation. However, the potential damage to hydrophobic layer of expanded perlite during the processes of filling, storage, and transportation can lead to undesirable increases in water absorption, thermal conductivity, even the risk of insulation failure. To investigate the variations in the thermal conductivity of damaged expanded water-repellent perlite used in CCs of LNG carrier, The variations in the thermal conductivity of expanded water-repellent perlite are tested using a guarded hot plate apparatus extending down to liquid nitrogen temperatures under the combined influence of moisture content and damage rates. Furthermore, heat transfer models are established, and the accuracy of the mathematical models is validated using experimental data collected from LNG carrier CCs. A Back-propagation Neural Network is used to conduct sensitivity analysis and predictions based on the experimental results. The results show that both the breakage rate and water content have detrimental effects on insulation performance. Specifically, under equatorial sailing conditions, 450 mm-thick expanded water-repellent perlite show respective BOR increases of 22.8% and 116.4%. With 530 mm-thick expanded water-repellent perlite, BOR increased by 20.7% and 112.1%, respectively, even exceeding the daily BOR limit for LNG cargo. Analyzing temperature field and BOR provides essential insight for evaluating the thermal insulation performance of the structural system in the NO 96 LNG carrier.

Performance analysis of a battery thermal management system based on phase change materials with micro heat pipe arrays

Lithium-ion battery packs generate high-level heat under harsh and rigorous conditions. The inadequate heat dissipation results in high pack temperature above the safe operating range. This study investigates an efficient and cost-effective battery thermal management system based on phase change materials and a micro heat pipe array. The battery is treated as a single domain. A battery pack with six series stacked batteries is analyzed using the Newman-Tiedemann-Gu-Kim model. The thermal performance of a battery thermal management system is analyzed using phase change materials with various melting temperature values, ambient temperature, and convective heat transfer coefficients of micro heat pipe arrays. Results show that the maximum temperature of the cooling system with micro heat pipe arrays and phase change materials is 33.8 °C, which is reduced by 22.3 % and 7.8 % compared to the air-cooled and cooling system with micro heat pipe arrays. At forced convection of 50 W·m−2·K−1, the maximum battery temperature values for the phase change material RT31, RT35, and RT42 are reduced by 11.8 %, 8.9 %, and 5.4 % compared to those at forced convection of 5 W·m−2·K−1. Under short-circuit conditions, the cooling system with micro heat pipe arrays and cooling system with micro heat pipe arrays − phase change materials reduce the maximum battery temperature by 12.4 % and 29.9 % compared to the air-cooled system. Results show that the developed model for the battery thermal management system provides a reference for designing phase change materials with micro heat pipe arrays.

Structure Design and Heat Transfer Performance Analysis of a Novel Composite Phase Change Active Cooling Channel Wall for Hypersonic Aircraft.

Efficient and stable heat dissipation structure is crucial for improving the convective heat transfer performance of thermal protection systems (TPSs) for hypersonic aircraft. However, the heat dissipation wall of the current TPS is limited by a single material and structure, inefficiently dissipating the large amount of accumulated heat generated during the high-speed maneuvering flight of hypersonic aircraft. Here, a convection cooling channel structure of TPS is proposed, which is an innovative multi-level structure inspired by the natural honeycomb. An active cooling channel (PCM-HC) is designed by using a variable-density topology optimization method and filled with phase change material (PCM). Numerical simulations are used to investigate the thermal performance of the PCM-HC wall, focusing on the influence of PCM properties, structural geometric parameters, and PCM types on heat transfer characteristics. The results demonstrate that the honeycomb-like convection cooling channel wall, combined with PCM latent heat of phase change, exhibits superior heat dissipation capability. With a heat flux input of 50 kW/m2, the maximum temperature on the inner wall of PCM-HC is reduced by 12 K to 20 K. Different PCMs have opposing effects on heat transfer performance due to their distinct thermophysical properties. This work can provide a theoretical basis for the design of high-efficiency cooling channel, improving the heat dissipation performance in the TPS of hypersonic aircraft.

Thermal response and performance evaluation of floor radiant heating system based on fuzzy logic control

The floor radiant heating system is widely used in various buildings due to its advantages such as high efficiency, comfort, and uniform heating. Generally, research on floor radiant heating systems focuses on energy saving, but the issue of slow thermal response during the heating process has not been solved. To solve the problem of slow thermal response and uneven indoor thermal environment in floor radiant heating systems, a fuzzy logic control theory based on optimal fuzzy rules was proposed. The floor radiant heating system based on fuzzy logic control was established by the TRNSYS-MATLAB integrated control platform. The study compared the thermal response and thermal comfort performance of PID control, fuzzy logic control, and optimized fuzzy control methods. The results showed that fuzzy logic control performed better than PID control in controlling the system's thermal performance and indoor thermal environment. Compared to PID control, the optimized fuzzy control reduced the thermal response time by 64.60%, and the total energy consumption of the water pump and heat pump decreased by 222 kWh and 329 kWh, respectively. The proposed fuzzy logic control demonstrates favorable thermal response characteristics and holds substantial potential for energy conservation within the increasingly prevalent floor radiant heating systems.

Thermal performance of packed-bed latent heat storage tank integrated with flat-plate collectors under intermittent loads of building heating

Packed-bed latent heat storage (PBLHS) system has been widely studied in the solar energy application area due to its properties of solving the time-space mismatch of energy supply and demand. The paper delves into the cyclic thermal performance of PBLHS tanks, seamlessly integrated with flat-plate collectors, to manage building heat loads effectively. A 1D transient mathematic model of PBLHS integrated with the solar collector for a building is established using MATLAB which is validated with the experimental results from the literature. Based on this model, the effect of different sizes, flow rates, inlet temperature thresholds and different heating months are discussed. The results show that: 1). Building heat load can have a significant influence on the thermal performance of the PBLHS system. 2). The optimal size of the tank for a 96 m2 house is 1.0*1.0 m and the optimal flow rate is 0.05 kg/s 3). The weather data can significantly affect the thermal performance of PBLHS, the storage tank heating durations for one week in different heating months are 108.4h, 73.6h,70.8h and 81.7h. These insights are pivotal for the optimal design of PBLHS tanks, paving the way for more efficient building heating solutions.

Experimental assessment and 3D numerical simulation of the thermal performance of a direct solar floor heating system installed in a bathroom in Casablanca city, Morocco: parametric, economic, and environmental analysis

Experimental assessment and 3D numerical simulation of the thermal performance of a direct solar floor heating system installed in a bathroom in Casablanca city, Morocco: parametric, economic, and environmental analysis

Impact of heating strategies towards energy-efficient buildings

Mitigating climate change and its impact requires intensive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition to renewable energy sources, and implement sustainable practices. Intermittent heating is considered a sustainable and effective way to achieve energy savings compared with continuous heating mode. However, recent studies have found that energy savings from intermittent heating depend on several factors, namely the building envelope solution. Therefore, this work intends to fill the research gap by comparing the energy efficiency and thermal performance of different construction systems, using two real-scale test cells, one built with a Light Steel Framing (LSF) solution and the other with concrete and Hollow Brick Masonry (HBM) solution. An experimental monitoring campaign was performed during the heating season, aimed at analysing the energy consumption, the responsiveness of the test cells to the heating system, and the influence of the outdoor climate on energy consumption, considering different heating strategies (intermittent patterns and continuous). In general, the LSF test cell registered lower energy consumption when compared to the HBM test cell. However, the LSF test cell presented significant fluctuations of the indoor temperature, confirming that it is more susceptible to the outdoor climate conditions. This research concluded that a system with lower thermal inertia has superior energy saving potential.

Coal-derived conductive pavement for winter de-icing: prototype, modeling, and simulation

Existing pavement de-icing methods result in high installation and maintenance costs, traffic delays, excessive weariness and corrosion, and negative environmental and safety impacts. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents an innovative pathway to design and construct smart self-heating pavements using a low-cost coal-char bearing asphalt material. The conductive asphalt incorporates coal char, i.e., a key byproduct of the coal pyrolysis process, into the Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) mixture. This asphalt containing coal-derived solid carbon exhibits highly tailorable electrical conductivity, satisfactory mechanical and thermophysical properties, and superior cost-efficiency as compared to other conductive pavement materials. The de-icing performance was also demonstrated by laboratory experiments on a bench-scale prototype. Furthermore, an efficient thermal network model was developed and validated by experiments to investigate the transient thermal behavior and energy performance of the Ohmic heating pavement system. The whole-year energy simulation case studies were conducted on a bridge pavement with an annual energy use of 24.6–––1444.8 kWh/m2, showcasing its potential in field applications across cool humid, cold humid, and subarctic/arctic climate zones

An Experimental Study of the Transfer of Heat in Nanofluid of a Tiny-Channel using Several Innovative Arrangement Designs

This work presents an experimental investigation of the heat transfer (HT) and pressure drop characteristics associated with three different configuration models of minichannel heat sinks. This study utilizes a coolant consisting of TiO2 nanoparticles dispersed in water at a weight concentration of 10%. The performance of this nanofluid coolant is then evaluated and compared to that of distilled water under several heating powers ranging from 100 to 300 W. The findings suggest that the thermal performance of TiO2 nanofluid is significantly influenced by heating power (HP), and its HT efficiency can be enhanced more efficiently at lower levels of HP. However, it has been observed that when the HP decreases, the pressure drop increases. This effect is more pronounced in TiO2 nanofluid than in pure water, which can be attributed to the difference in viscosity with temperature. The Nusselt number remains constant regardless of the increase or reduction in HP. Consequently, when pure water is utilized, the experimental Nusselt number aligns with the Peng and Peterson empirical correlation for all HPs, with an accuracy of 15%. The TiO2 nanofluid was used to test the lowest wall temperature, 40 °C. This measurement was obtained at a Reynolds number of 1100, equivalent to a heat power (HP) of 100 W. Furthermore, it is noted that when the fluid passes through the mini channel, there is an increase in the axial temperature from the input to the outlet of the heat sink (HS). The maximum enhancement observed for a power input of 100 W is 19.59% when utilizing configuration A. This is attributed to the combination of a weak buoyancy force and an increase in the surface area of HT. The HP highly influences the system's thermal performance, and its effective HT characteristics are more pronounced at lower HP levels.

Shape matters: Convection and entropy generation in magneto-hydrodynamic nanofluid flow in constraint-based analogous annular thermal systems

This work analyzes the performance of annular thermal systems of distinct geometries to understand their shape impacts using a novel constraint-based methodology. This research fills the gap in the literature by analyzing the geometrical shape impact of magnetohydrodynamic CuO/water nanofluid flow on fluid flow, heat transfer, and thermodynamic irreversibility. Through computational simulations, the outcome results demonstrate that the circular annuli (Case 1 and Case 2) outperform the analogous square system in terms of fluid velocity, heat transfer, and irreversibility. The analysis is carried out for a range of Rayleigh numbers (Ra = 103 to 106), nanoparticle concentrations (ζ = 0 to 4%), magnetic fields (Ha = 0 to 100), and magnetic field inclinations (γ = 0° to 180°). Additionally, a significant improvement in heat transfer is observed by augmenting nanoparticles of the working fluid, while the magnetic field intensity plays a crucial role in controlling fluid flow and heat transfer. The study provides valuable insights into how various parameters affect the nanofluidic heat and flow characteristics of equivalent annular geometries and contributes to the development of more efficient and effective designs of thermal systems. The novelty of the study lies in its comprehensive approach in the use of a constraint-based methodology that matches the flow areas or cooling lengths while maintaining the same heating length to analyze the impact of geometric shapes on heat transport and accompanying irreversibility during MHD nanofluid flow. Furthermore, the energy-flux vectors are utilized to delve into the insights. The maximum value of heat transfer noted for Case 1 and Case 2 is approximately 7% and 11%, respectively, compared to the square annulus (Base Case). The inclusion of nanoparticles in the carrier fluid causes a significant enhancement in heat transfer by up to 11%, compared to pure fluid (ζ = 0).

Wave and straight plenum effects on thermal management system performance

The need to offset heat generated by batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) necessitated the design and development of battery thermal management systems (BTMS), one of which adopt air cooling technique. The redesign of plenums of the BTMS has been beneficial in the enhancement of the BTMS's performance. In view of these, this study considered wave and straight design of plenums in an attempt to enhance the performance of the system. The proposed designs were investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology. The CFD methodology was validated by first investigating the conventional Z-design of BTMS with straight plenums and the results were compared with existing results from experiments in literature. Findings from the study revealed that by replacing straight-horizontal plenum with straight-inclined plenum, maximum temperature (Tmax), and maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax) of the Z-design was reduced by 3.47 K and 6.82 K, respectively, with increase in pressure drop (ΔP) by 2.24 Pa and pumping power (Pp) by 0.01 W.Furthermore, by adopting wave-inclined plenum design, Tmax, and ΔTmax were reduced by 4.61 K and 8 K, respectively when compared with the conventional Z-design BTMS. More so, the pressure drop (ΔP) and pumping power (Pp) increased by 3.17 Pa and 0.0133 W, respectively. The study generally revealed that careful redesign of divergence plenum with inclined straight and wave-like structure will enhance the thermal performance of BTMS.

Proposal and application of a raised multilayer flooring system and its influences on thermal environments

ABSTRACT This study discusses a raised multilayer floor (RMF) system. The RMF system is characterized by gaps between the slab and flooring material. It has been applied to a wide range of building types in Japan because it is known to excel in acoustic absorption. The thermal performance of the RMF systems was considered to be more efficient than that of a floating floor (FF) system in which a heating panel is attached to a floor slab. However, this has not been sufficiently explored. In this paper, 72-hour in-situ temperature measurement test was performed to compare the thermal performance of the RMF and FF systems. They were applied to two identical rooms in a reinforced concrete (RC) building. The tests were performed under three different heating conditions. There was no heating, air-conditioning heating, or floor heating (FH). The RMF system was found to be more effective than the FF system in terms of FH operation speed, comfort level, energy efficiency, and vertical temperature distribution. The RMF system increased the floor surface temperature about 2°C higher than the FF system. 72-hour FH operation at a 26°C setting resulted in the RMF system reducing energy consumption by approximately 10% than the FF system.

Study of the characteristics of the separated gravity heat pipe of a self-activated PCM wall system

Self-activated phase change material (PCM) wall integrated with radiative sky cooling (RSC) is a novel wall system that uses natural energy directly for low-energy buildings to support carbon peaking and neutrality goals. A separated gravity heat pipe (SGHP) is an effective heat transfer component for heat transport from the wall body to the radiative cooler without using mechanical energy. Its heat transfer characteristics affect the thermal performance of the wall system. In this study, a numerical Volume of Fluid (VOF) model of the SGHP is established. The thermal and flow characteristics under the small temperature difference boundary of building scenarios are simulated and analyzed. Results show that the average temperature of the working fluid inside the SGHP in the “steady stage” is about 26.3 °C when the boundary temperature of the evaporation and condensation sections are respectively 28 °C and 20 °C. The heat exchange can reach 356 W/m2 and the flow velocity of the working fluid is about 0.1 m/s. Influences of different evaporation/condensation boundary temperatures on the heat transfer effect are further studied. Compared to increasing the evaporation section temperature, decreasing the condensation section temperature is a better strategy for improving the heat exchange capacity of the SGHP.

A Numerical Investigation of the Influence of Humid Environments on the Thermal Performance of a Phase Change Thermal Storage Cooling System in Buildings

Phase change thermal energy storage (PCTES) technology has garnered significant attention in addressing thermal management challenges in building HVAC systems. However, the cooling performance of PCTES systems in humid scenarios remains unexplored, which is crucial in subtropical regions, high-humidity underground areas, and densely populated spaces. Taking the mine refuge chamber (MRC) as an example, this study focuses on a passive temperature and humidity control system by employing cold storage phase change plates (PCPs) for 96 h. First, an improved and simplified full-scale numerical model including PCPs and MRC parts is established. Then, the model is validated through the experimental results and solved using a numerical method. Finally, the influence of various factors within the system is investigated and an optimization method involving batch operation is proposed. The results indicate that (1) within 40 h, the use of cold storage PCPs leads to an indoor temperature reduction of 4.8 °C and a 7% decrease in relative humidity; (2) the PCPs show asynchronous states in sensible and latent heat transfer rates; (3) for every 50 additional PCPs, the average indoor temperature increases by 0.6 °C and the relative humidity decreases by 1.5%; (4) implementing batch operation of PCPs ensures that the indoor Heat Index drops by 10 °C, which is vital for human survival. The findings will play a crucial role in the global expansion and application (including geographical and functional aspects) of phase change thermal storage technology.

Numerical study of parabolic trough solar collector’s thermo-hydraulic performance using CuO and Al2O3 nanofluids

The current study aims to boost the thermal and hydraulic performance of a parabolic trough solar collector by modifying the absorber tube with a porous obstacle insertion. The research investigates how porous media and nanoparticles together influence the system's thermal performance, considering factors like outlet temperature, average Nusselt number, average friction factor, thermal performance factor, and thermal efficiency at different mass flow rates. To achieve better thermal performance, the base fluid, water, is substituted with Copper Oxide (CuO)-water and Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3)-water nanofluids at concentrations ranging from 3% to 7% by volume. The experiments are conducted at 800–1000 W.m-2 heat flux on the outside tube surface. The finite element method discretizes the governing equations for 3-D fluid flow simulations conducted in COMSOL Multiphysics 6.1 software. The simulation is carried out considering four altered rates of mass flow, ranging from 0.015 kg.s−1 to 0.060 kg.s−1. The findings show that at a Reynolds number of 1428 and a 7% volume concentration, the maximum thermal performance factor recorded is 1.97 and 1.99 for Al2O3 and CuO nanofluids, respectively. Additionally, the absorber tube achieves maximum thermal efficiency of up to 77.93% and 79.03%. Also, the augmentation in the average Nusselt number ratio is 26.27% and 36.74% when using Al2O3 and CuO nanofluids, respectively, with the tube height-to-diameter ratio (h/D) set at 0.42. The average friction factor ratio was reduced by 2.9% using CuO nanofluids compared to Al2O3 nanofluids. Thermal efficiency was enhanced by 7.2% using a porous obstacle insert in the parabolic trough solar collector system compared to a non-porous system.

Thermal performance evaluation during charging/discharging cycles of sensible energy storage beds for biogas production process

The breakdown of organic waste, through anaerobic digestion, for production of biogas is a temperature dependent process. The favorable temperature required for efficient production is 35 °C. Attaining the temperature required for this process, under normal conditions, is a challenging task. Hence, the development of an effective heating system is necessary. The warm water from the solar water heater is circulated through the wall of the digester wall using a heat exchanger. The intermittency in the supply of energy, as in the case of solar radiation, creates a mismatch between the demand and the supply of the energy. Hence, development of efficient energy storage system that can be used as stand-by in case of unavailability of the primary energy source.The present work modeled and predicted the thermal performance of sensible heat storage system having 10 MJ capacity which can deliver warm water at 35 °C for 4 hr. The sensible heat storage system unit is a regenerator type heat exchanger which stores/releases heat on passing hot/cold heat transfer fluid through the tubes embedded into it. A mathematical model of a cylindrical configuration with embedded multi-tube is developed employing pebbles and cast iron as storage mediums. The number of embedded charging/discharging tubes in the storage model is optimized based on the charging time using a finite element method based simulation tool (®COMSOL Multiphysics). A parametric study, including charging/discharging time, energy stored/recovered, exergy stored/recovered, and charging/discharging fraction of the system, have been used to evaluate the thermal performance. Further the effect of heat transfer fluid tube diameter and velocity, volumetric heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the storage media on performance of the storage is also investigated.

Experimental and economic evaluation on the performance improvement of a solar photovoltaic thermal system with skeleton-shaped fins

At elevated ambient temperatures, the production and efficiency of solar panels are degraded due to the overheating of the cells. Cooling photovoltaic cells at elevated ambient temperatures can prevent overheating, extend their life, and enhance overall efficiency, particularly in areas exposed to strong sunlight and elevated temperatures. In this study, an attempt was made experimentally to increase the performance of solar photovoltaic thermal systems with a novel cooling technique. The proposed system has an absorber plate coupled with novel skeleton-shaped fins used to create double-pass ambient air channels below the solar module for natural heat dissipation. Performance of the proposed photovoltaic thermal system with skeleton-shaped fins was designed, evaluated, and evaluated, under different climatic conditions of the southern Algeria city of Ghardaïa from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Theoretical analysis was also developed relying on the energy and exergy balance equations for the system components. An economic analysis is also performed by the life cycle cost analysis to evaluate the feasibility, annual performance, and payback period of the proposed solar system compared with that of the conventional system. Results showed that the proposed photovoltaic thermal generates an average daily production of 2.02 kWh, which is 55.1 % more than the conventional system. The energy and exergy efficiency of the proposed system are higher than the conventional system by 8.61 and 8.98 %, respectively. The levelized costs of energy associated with the proposed system (0.17 $/kWh) is lower than that of the conventional system by 11.76 %. The payback period of the proposed system (6.21 years) is lower than that of the conventional solar systems by 34.7 %. This means that the additional power generation obtained by the proposed system with skeleton-shaped fins was sufficient to offset the total life cycle costs.