An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system

Amjad H. Hamzawy; Qahtan A. Abed

doi:10.14744/thermal.0000912

An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are characterized by their efficiency and performance decreasing as the operating temperature increases. The maximum available tested efficiency of the PV module decreases by up to 0.8% with each 10-degree temperature increase. To perform better PV, it is necessary to extract the heat, and thus decrease its temperature. In the context of this particular research investigation, a series of empirical investigations were conducted at Al-Rumaitha Technical Institute situated in Iraq (31°42' - 45°12'). These experimental endeavors were undertaken to analyze the performance and characteristics of photovoltaic thermal (P`VT) collectors. It is noteworthy to mention that one of these solar panels was effectively incorporated into a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) module, while the other panel was employed independently without any cooling mechanism. It is essential to underscore that the induction and maintenance of airflow were achieved through the utilization of an air intake fan. It is important to highlight that these experimental investigations were undertaken over a diverse array of days throughout the year, thereby ensuring the thorough coverage of various atmospheric conditions and scenarios. The results show the maximum electrical efficiency achieved was found to be a commendable 19%, representing an impressive improvement of 5.1% when compared to the PV panel without porous. Moreover, it is important to highlight that the maximum output power attained was an astounding 330.7W. Also, the thermal characteristics of the system showed that the maximum amount of heat gain reached a notable 707.1 W. It is also worth noting that the thermal efficiency of the system was calculated to be 29.57%. Lastly, it is pertinent to mention that the overall efficiency of the system, encompassing both electrical and thermal aspects, amounted to an impressive 46.8%.

Keywords

References

[1] Zhao Y, Gong S, Zhang C, Ge M, Xie L. Performance analysis of a solar photovoltaic power generation system with spray cooling. Case Stud Therm Eng 2022;29:101723. [CrossRef]
[2] Hajibeigy MT, Walvekar R, CV A. Mathematical modelling, simulation analysis of a photovoltaic thermal system. J Therm Eng 2021;7:291–306. [CrossRef]
[3] Bisht YS, Pandey SD, Chamoli S. Jet impingement technique for heat transfer enhancement: Discovering future research trends. Energy Sources Part A Recover Util Environ Eff 2023;45:8183–8202. [CrossRef]
[4] Bisht YS, Pandey SD, Chamoli S. Experimental investigation on jet impingement heat transfer analysis in a channel flow embedded with V-shaped patterned surface. Energy Sources Part A Recover Util Environ Eff 2023;45:12520–12534. [CrossRef]
[5] Shalaby SM, Elfakharany MK, Moharram BM, Abosheiasha HF. Experimental study on the performance of PV with water cooling. Energy Rep 2022;8:957–961. [CrossRef]
[6] Shoeibi S, Kargarsharifabad H, Mirjalily SAA, Zargarazad M. Performance analysis of finned photovoltaic/thermal solar air dryer with using a compound parabolic concentrator. Appl Energy 2021;304:117778. [CrossRef]
[7] Dwivedi P, Sudhakar K, Soni A, Solomin E, Kirpichnikova I. Advanced cooling techniques of P.V. modules: A state of art. Case Stud Therm Eng 2020;21:100674. [CrossRef]
[8] Salameh W, Castelain C, Faraj J, Murr R, El Hage H, Khaled M. Improving the efficiency of photovoltaic panels using air exhausted from HVAC systems: Thermal modelling and parametric analysis. Case Stud Therm Eng 2021;25:100940. [CrossRef]

[9] Ahmad FF, Ghenai C, Hamid AK, Rejeb O, Bettayeb M. Performance enhancement and infra-red (IR) thermography of solar photovoltaic panel using back cooling from the waste air of building centralized air conditioning system. Case Stud Therm Eng 2021;24:100840. [CrossRef]
[10] Li D, King M, Dooner M, Guo S, Wang J. Study on the cleaning and cooling of solar photovoltaic panels using compressed airflow. Sol Energy 2021;221:433–444. [CrossRef]
[11] Soliman AMA, Hassan H. An experimental work on the performance of solar cell cooled by flat heat pipe. J Therm Anal Calorim 2021;146:1883–1892. [CrossRef]
[12] Nehari T, Benlakam M, Nehari D. Effect of the fins length for the passive cooling of the photovoltaic panels. Period Polytech Mech Eng 2016;60:89–95. [CrossRef]
[13] Johnston E, Szabo PSB, Bennett NS. Cooling silicon photovoltaic cells using finned heat sinks and the effect of inclination angle. Therm Sci Eng Prog 2021;23:100902. [CrossRef]
[14] Mesgarpour M, Heydari A, Wongwises S, Reza Gharib M. Numerical optimization of a new concept in porous medium considering thermal radiation: Photovoltaic panel cooling application. Sol Energy 2021;216:452–467. [CrossRef]
[15] Grubišić-Čabo F, Nižetić S, Čoko D, Marinić Kragić I, Papadopoulos A. Experimental investigation of the passive cooled free-standing photovoltaic panel with fixed aluminum fins on the backside surface. J Clean Prod 2018;176:119–129. [CrossRef]
[16] Bhat P, Iyengar AS, Abhilash N, Reddy PK. Experimental investigation and validation of solar PV cooling for enhanced energy conversion efficiency for Indian climatic conditions. J Therm Eng 2022;8:711–718. [CrossRef]
[17] Choubineh N, Jannesari H, Kasaeian A. Experimental study of the effect of using phase change materials on the performance of an air-cooled photovoltaic system. Renew Sustain Energy Rev 2019;101:103–111. [CrossRef]
[18] Teo HG, Lee PS, Hawlader MNA. An active cooling system for photovoltaic modules. Appl Energy 2012;90:309–315. [CrossRef]
[19] Abd Elbar AR, Hassan H. An experimental work on the performance of new integration of photovoltaic panel with solar still in semi-arid climate conditions. Renew Energy 2020;146:1429–1443. [CrossRef]
[20] Abudllah Y, Arifin Z, Prija Tjahjana DD, Suyitno S, Putra MRA. Analysis of the copper and aluminum heat sinks addition to the performance of photovoltaic panels with CFD modelling. Proceeding - 1st Int Conf Inf Technol Adv Mech Electr Eng ICITAMEE 2020 2020:41–45. [CrossRef]

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Engineering (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Amjad H. Hamzawy ^* This is me
0000-0002-1438-2105
Iraq

Qahtan A. Abed This is me
0000-0003-4501-6869
Iraq

Publication Date

January 31, 2025

Submission Date

November 8, 2023

Acceptance Date

April 26, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 11 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000912

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA59NJ68XA

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Hamzawy, A. H., & Abed, Q. A. (2025). An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system. Journal of Thermal Engineering, 11(1), 181-195. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000912

AMA

1.Hamzawy AH, Abed QA. An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025;11(1):181-195. doi:10.14744/thermal.0000912

Chicago

Hamzawy, Amjad H., and Qahtan A. Abed. 2025. “An Experimental Study on the Impact of Porous Media in Improving the Heat Transfer Performance Characteristics of Photovoltaic-Thermal System”. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11 (1): 181-95. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000912.

EndNote

Hamzawy AH, Abed QA (January 31, 2025) An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11 1 181–195.

IEEE

[1]A. H. Hamzawy and Q. A. Abed, “An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system”, Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 181–195, Jan. 2025, doi: 10.14744/thermal.0000912.

ISNAD

Hamzawy, Amjad H. - Abed, Qahtan A. “An Experimental Study on the Impact of Porous Media in Improving the Heat Transfer Performance Characteristics of Photovoltaic-Thermal System”. Journal of Thermal Engineering 11/1 (January 31, 2025): 181-195. https://doi.org/10.14744/thermal.0000912.

JAMA

1.Hamzawy AH, Abed QA. An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025;11:181–195.

MLA

Hamzawy, Amjad H., and Qahtan A. Abed. “An Experimental Study on the Impact of Porous Media in Improving the Heat Transfer Performance Characteristics of Photovoltaic-Thermal System”. Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol. 11, no. 1, Jan. 2025, pp. 181-95, doi:10.14744/thermal.0000912.

Vancouver

1.Amjad H. Hamzawy, Qahtan A. Abed. An experimental study on the impact of porous media in improving the heat transfer performance characteristics of photovoltaic-thermal system. Journal of Thermal Engineering. 2025 Jan. 31;11(1):181-95. doi:10.14744/thermal.0000912