Numerical Study on the Effect of Distance Between Tubes and Bonding Width on the Performance of a Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT) System

Year 2026, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 143 - 154, 16.12.2025

Alhusayn Almalih , Mohamed Elsakka , M. Elfaisal Elrefaie

https://doi.org/10.31127/tuje.1786975

Abstract

ThThis study presents a numerical analysis of the effects of two important geometric parameters, the distance between cooling tubes and the bonding width between the tubes and the absorber surface, on the overall performance of a water-cooled photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) system. A steady-state energy balance model was developed for each system component and solved using the Gauss–Seidel iterative method in MATLAB. The model's reliability was evaluated by comparing its results with experimental and simulation results from previous studies to ensure accuracy. Parametric simulations were performed across realistic ranges of solar irradiance and coolant mass flow rate for different geometric configurations. The results show that reducing the distance between the tubes decreases the PV cell temperature and improves electrical efficiency, with an increase of up to 3.3% under high solar irradiance. Moreover, increasing the bonding width and mass flow rate significantly enhanced both thermal and electrical efficiency. At the highest flow rate of 0.016 kg/s and maximum bonding width, electrical and thermal efficiencies reached 12.15% and 58.2%, respectively.

Keywords

Photovoltaic thermal system , Performance , Numerical model , Distance between tubes , Bonding width

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