Experimental investigation on semitransparent photovoltaic thermal hybrid collector using nanofluids

Abstract

A solar photovoltaic-thermal hybrid collector (SPV-THC) was newlinedeveloped and its thermodynamics performance was evaluated using newlinenanofluids and thermal energy storage unit. The experiments were carried out newlineunder the meteorological conditions of Coimbatore city in India. The newlineexperiment was conducted for thirty days each on SPV-THC using copper newlineoxide, aluminium oxide, titanium oxide nanofluids and its thermal newlineperformance was compared with the SPV-THC using water. The electrical newlineperformance of the SPV-THC was compared with a conventional newlinephotovoltaic module. The influence of mass flow rate of fluid, solar newlineirradiation and ambient temperature on the thermodynamic performance of newlinethe system is studied. Thermal modeling has been developed for SPV-THC to newlinevalidate the experimental results. Thermal modeling equations were prepared newlinebased on the energy balance equations. newlineThe SPV-THC system comprises of semitransparent polycrystalline newlinesilicon photovoltaic module with serpentine tube arrangement at the bottom newlineside of the collector for circulating water and nanofluids to absorb the thermal newlineenergy. The mass flow rate of the nanofluid and volume fraction of newlinenanoparticles was optimized to 0.016 kg/s and 0.2% respectively based on the newlineexperimental trials. A horizontal latent heat storage system was used to store newlinethe heat associated with the solar SPV-THC by circulating the nanofluids and newlinewater. Paraffin wax was used as the phase change material (PCM) to store the newlinethermal energy output. Steatite powder was used as the additive material in newlinethe PCM to enhance the heat transfer properties of the PCM composite. The newlineweight fractions of steatite powder were varied from 10% to 30%. The newlinecharging and discharging rate of the PCM composites were studied using a newlinehorizontal latent heat storage system. Form the experimental results newline