Numerical Assessment of the Thermal Efficiency of a Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermal (CPV/T) Hybrid System Using Air as Heat Transfer Fluid

In this paper, we propose a thermal model of a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal concentration system. Starting from the thermal balance of the model, the equation is solved and simulated with a MATLAB code, considering air as the cooling fluid. This enabled us to evaluate some of the parameters influencing the electrical and thermal performance of this device. The results showed that the temperature, thermal efficiency and electrical efficiency delivered depend on the air mass flow rate. The electrical and thermal efficiencies for different values of air mass flow are encouraging, and demonstrate the benefits of cooling photovoltaic cells. The results show that thermal efficiency decreases air flow rate greater than 0.7 kg/s, whatever the value of the light concentration used. The thermal efficiency of the solar cell increases as the light concentration increases, whatever the air flow rate used. For a concentration equal to 30 sun, the thermal efficiency is 0.16 with an air flow rate equal to 0.005 kg/s;the thermal efficiency increases to 0.19 with an air flow rate equal to 0.1 kg/s at the same concentration. An interesting and useful finding was that the proposed numerical model allows the determination of the electrical as well as thermal efficiency of the hybrid CPV/T with air flow as cooling fluid.

Assessment of High Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector in Hot Climate

This work investigates the performance of combined hybrid high concentrated photovoltaic/thermal collector (HCPV/T) in Kuwait harsh climate. The proposed system consists of triple junction solar cells (InGaP/InGaAs/Ge) attached to heat source to discharge thermal energy to cooling media. Published HCPV/T models do not consider the effect of shunt resistance which greatly affects the system performance. So, a single diode model employing five parameters including the effect of shunt resistance is adapted to analyze the proposed system. To analyze the thermal performance of the proposed system, a two-dimensional thermal model based on the technique of finite difference is introduced to determine the efficiency of the hybrid HCPV/T system. The present developed subroutines are integrated with other involved codes in TRNSYS software to calculate HCPV/T system efficiency. Electrical and thermal as well as the whole system efficiency at different weather circumstances are evaluated and assessed. The effect of different weather conditions, cell temperature, concentration ratio and the temperatures of the coolant fluid on system performance are studied. Current results indicate that the model of single diode is a reliable one rather than using the two-diode complex model. Compared to measurements provided by high concentrated PV manufacturer, the current results revealed a total root mean square error of approximately 1.94%. Present predictions show that PV cell temperature has logarithmic increase with the rise in concentration ratio but with low values till concentration ratio of 400 suns after that the rise is faster at higher concentration values up to 1500 suns. Results also revealed that hybrid HCPV/T system works effectively specially in severe hot climate where thermal efficiency increases with high surrounding temperature for higher values of concentration ratio. In addition, an increase of approximately 15% in thermal efficiency and 10% in total efficiency can be achieved by utilizing active cooling device in HCPV/T system.

Performance Evaluation of New Two Axes Tracking PV-Thermal Concentrator

The overall problem with PV （photovoltaic） systems is the high cost for the photovoltaic modules. This makes it interesting to concentrate irradiation on the PV-module, thereby reducing the PV area necessary for obtaining the same amount of output power. The tracking capability of two-axes tracking unit driving a new concentrating paraboloid for electric and heat production have been evaluated. The reflecting optics consisting of flat mirrors provides uniform illumination on the absorber which is a good indication for optimised electrical production due to series connection of solar cells. The calculated optical efficiency of the system indicates that about 80% of the incident beam radiation is transferred to the absorber. Simulations of generated electrical and thermal energy from the evaluated photovoltaic thermal （PV/T） collector show the potential of obtaining high total energy efficiency.

A review of concentrated photovoltaic-thermal(CPVT) hybrid solar systems with waste heat recovery(WHR)

In conventional photovoltaic(PV) systems, a large portion of solar energy is dissipated as waste heat since the generating efficiency is usually less than 30%. As the dissipated heat can be recovered for various applications, the wasted heat recovery concentrator PV/thermal(WHR CPVT) hybrid systems have been developed. They can provide both electricity and usable heat by combining thermal systems with concentrator PV(CPV) module, which dramatically improves the overall conversion efficiency of solar energy.This paper systematically and comprehensively reviews the research and development of WHR CPVT systems. WHR CPVT systems with innovative design configurations, different theoretical evaluation models and experimental test processes for several implementations are presented in an integrated manner. We aim to provide a global point of view on the research trends, market potential, technical obstacles, and the future work which is required in the development of WHR CPVT technology. Possibly, it will offer a generic guide to the investigators who are interested in the study of WHR CPVT systems.

Full scale experimental study of a small natural draft dry cooling tower for concentrating solar thermal power plant

Concentrating solar thermal power system can provide low carbon,renewable energy resources in countries or regions with strong solar irradiation.For this kind of power plant which is likely to be located in the arid area,natural draft dry cooling tower is a promising choice.To develop the experimental studies on small cooling tower,a 20 m high natural draft dry cooling tower with fully instrumented measurement system was established by the Queensland Geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence.The performance of this cooling tower was measured with the constant heat input of 600 kW and 840 kW and with ambient temperature ranging from 20 ℃ to 32 ℃.The cooling tower numerical model was refined and validated with the experimental data.The model of 1 MW concentrating solar thermal supercritical CO2 power cycle was developed and integrated with the cooling tower model.The influences of changing ambient temperature and the performance of the cooling tower on efficiency of the power system were simulated.The differences of the mechanism of the ambient temperature effect on Rankine cycle and supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle were analysed and discussed.

Finite Element Analysis of External Thermal Insulation Composite System:Thin Rendered Expanded Polystyrene Board

The finite element model of an external thermal composite insuiation system, thin rendered expanded polystyrene （ EPS ） board, was built with ANSYS 1.0, which had two forms： one with window and one without window. The finite element analysis results show that the EPS board had very good insulation capacity at both high or low temperature, stress concentration was produced in the center of wall and around window, and the maximum deformation was observed at the edge of board and the minimum deformation was in the center.

Temperature Control in a PV-WIND Medical Herb Dryer System

This paper introduces a temperature control technique for a medical herb dryer system. The technique fixes the drying temperature of the medical herbs at 40℃ even in cases of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. The control of the dryer temperature is achieved through using on/off controller. The designed dryer contains two systems, which are the thermal and electrical systems. The thermal system is designed to heat the drying air by using solar water collector and electric heater. While, the electrical system which contains a photovoltaic (PV)-WIND hybrid system is used to feed the different electrical loads of the dryer system. The control technique is investigated through simulation work by using MATLAB-SIMULINK. The simulation results indicate the high capability of the proposed technique in controlling the drying temperature, even in case of rapidly changing atmospheric conditions.

PV/T太阳能热泵系统的性能研究

提出一种新型的太阳能热泵系统———PV/T-SAHP系统,该系统具有光电/光热综合利用的功能;建立了PV/T-SAHP系统的动态模型,对该系统的运行特性进行了数值模拟。结果显示,PV/T-SAHP系统的电效率和热效率较传统的太阳能系统和热泵系统都有明显提高,运行能耗较普通热泵大幅度降低;系统PV/T蒸发器的面积、管间距、倾角等参数的变化对电效率和热性能会产生比较大的影响,是系统优化设计的关键因素。

复合抛物面聚光太阳能PV/T系统的实验研究

设计并搭建了CPC低倍聚光太阳能PV/T单通道空气系统实验台,对不同工作环境下聚光PV/T系统的热电性能进行了实验研究。实验研究结果显示:在聚光条件下,系统的各表面温度随光照强度的增加而升高,随下部通道入口空气流速的增加而降低。聚光PV/T系统的最大输出功率可达到60W,比对应相同电池面积平板系统最大输出功率高20W。聚光PV/T系统的各效率随光照强度增加而增大,系统的最大电效率为11%,最大热效率为70%,最大火用效率为16%,比单纯发电时最大火用效率提高约5%。实验获得了一批新的有价值的实验数据,为聚光太阳能光伏光热系统的进一步研究提供了依据。

有、无玻璃盖板工况对PV/T系统性能的影响

同时参考热力学第二定律和第一定律,以效率和能量效率作为判据,在一些结构参数和环境参数变化的条件下,对有、无玻璃盖板工况下 PV/T 系统的综合性能进行了对比分析,并尝试对玻璃盖板在 PV/T 系统中的应用给出一些建议。

一种新型PV/T复合系统电、热性能对比研究

为提高光伏光热一体化系统(PV/T)能量输出,将新型铝合金背板型光伏组件和自行设计制作的不锈钢扁盒流道集热板相结合,用导热硅胶加以粘接构成新型PV/T复合系统。将新型PV/T复合系统、常规TPT背板光伏组件、常规平板集热器至于同于工况下进行测试,测试结果表明,与TPT光伏组件相比,新型PV/T系统的电压约提升了0.5～1.5V,电转换效率、填充因子、输出功率及发电量平均提高了9.76%、1.49%、3.75%、4.02%。而复合系统热效率比常规平板集热器约低22%左右。相对于常规TPT光伏系统或自然循环平板集热器热水系统,新型PV/T系统有发电量高、占地面积小、综合性能效率高等优点。

基于模型分析的光伏/热(PV/T)太阳能系统设计方法及应用研究

根据聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统的结构特点,分析聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统的设计参数,结合聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统的能量转换、存储和传输特性及用户对系统输出电能、热能的需求,建立聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统光电、热能量转换效率、热水温度及输出电能的设计优化理论模型。并利用设计模型分析不同设计参数对系统输出热、电能量的影响,有效简化聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统的优化设计过程。另外,设计聚光PV/T热水太阳能系统样机,并对其特性进行实验分析。结果表明,系统输出能满足农村家庭对照明电能、热水的基本需要,具有较好的实用性。

新型PV/T太阳能利用复合系统的实验研究

为提高PV/T系统太阳能利用率,同时获得可利用的热水和电力,将铝合金背板型单晶硅光伏组件和自行设计制作的不锈钢扁盒式集热板相结合,用导热硅胶加以粘接制成新型光伏光热一体化(PV/T)复合系统,该系统实现了光伏组件与集热板之间良好的粘接性、绝缘性和热传导,并在昆明地区对系统进行测试,分析了系统在不同水箱水容量及不同天气工况下运行的光电光热性能。结果表明,系统在75kg水箱水容量(m)晴天工况下运行效率更高,系统的平均电效率、热效率、综合效率及综合性能效率分别在14%、37%、51%、70.72%左右,与系统在50kg水箱水容量晴天或75kg水箱水容量多云工况下运行相比,综合性能效率约提高了11.86%或2.09%。与独立的光热或光伏系统相比,具有占地面积小、太阳能利用率高、更经济等优势。

非晶硅PV/T系统的结构方式对性能的影响

以非晶硅PV/T系统为研究对象,对PV/T系统建立传热模型,研究PV/T系统结构改变对其性能的影响。结果表明:非晶硅太阳电池紧贴集热器吸热板时能量效率和(火用)效率均高于电池板作为系统盖板的效率。总体上能量效率和(火用)效率随着太阳辐射强度、工质流量和电池光电转换效率的升高而增加,随着环境风速的增大而减少,但各因素的影响程度随结构方式而异。

菲涅尔高倍聚光PV/T系统热电输出性能模拟与试验

该文基于直通式微通道冷却的菲涅尔高倍聚光PV/T系统热电输出性能的仿真和试验进行研究,结果表明,太阳辐照度、聚光元件间的装配距离、入射角及热对流等对系统热电性能的影响较大;太阳直接辐照度为226 W/m2时,菲涅尔透镜与聚光元件间距离增大2 mm后,功率和电效率分别下降0.98 W和7.4%,对于确定的菲涅尔高倍聚光PV/T系统,存在最佳聚光元件装配参数范围;当太阳直接辐照度一定时,冷却工质流量越大,电池表面温度下降越快,但在较高流量时,随着流量持续增大,电池表面温度下降趋势减小;当入射角由0°增大至1°后,系统得热量下降0.25MJ,在太阳辐照度达到500 W/m2时,输出功率下降6.35 W;试验系统输出性能稳定,且适用于大型系统,该文研究为系统实际运行参数调控提供理论和试验依据。

聚光太阳能PV/T空气集热器能量和(?)效率分析

文中建立了带有散热翅片的复合抛物面聚光太阳能PV/T空气集热器内部传热过程的一维稳态数学模型,对传热过程进行了数值模拟,对集热器热、电、(火用)和净电效率进行了计算。分析了空气质量流量、入射光强度、风速对集热器的空气温度及系统各效率的影响。结果表明:随着入射光强度的增加,空气进出口温差、热和(火用)效率是增大的,而电效率则有所降低。随着空气流量的增加,系统的净电效率和进出口温度差是降低的。通过计算可知集热器的(火用)效率在18%～11%,热效率可达65%,净电效率低于2%,并明显受空气质量流速的影响。

V型槽聚光下PV系统的性能研究

设计制作了V型槽聚光PV系统,基于此系统对多晶硅电池阵列和空间太阳电池阵列进行实验研究。结果表明,V型槽聚光下多晶硅电池阵列的最大输出功率为6.198W,是非聚光下的1.21倍。空间太阳电池阵列的最大输出功率由未聚光时的7.834W增至聚光后的14.223W,提高了近一倍。采用通水冷却方法,研究了V型槽聚光下电池工作温度对电池阵列开路电压、短路电流、输出功率和填充因子的影响。聚光水冷后多晶硅电池阵列最大输出功率增加到8.28W,比普通光照下提高了62.67%.

抛物面聚光太阳能PV/T系统的热电性能分析

建立了带有散热翅片的聚光太阳能PV/T热电联产系统内部传热过程的一维稳态数学模型,对传热过程进行了数值模拟,分析了空气质量流速、入射光强度、聚光比、环境温度、上部通道高度及翅片参数对系统的空气温度、电池板温度及系统热、电效率的影响。结果表明:随着入射光强、聚光比的增加,空气出口温度和电池板温度都会增加,系统热电总效率增加;通过增加空气流量可以有效降低电池温度,提高电池的光电转换效率和系统的总能量利用效率;吸热板背面的翅片可以强化通道内空气的传热过程,降低电池板的温度,系统效率可增加约2%;在相同的光照条件下,入口空气温度越低,上部通道越窄,系统热效率越高。研究结果为聚光太阳能PV/T热电联产系统的设计和运行提供了理论依据。

基于对流传热分析的PV/T优化设计与实验

以工艺难度较低的U型管水冷器为研究对象,以PV/T的太阳热能输入与U型管的吸热能力平衡为目标,对冷却水在层流、过渡流和湍流3种流动状态下的热传递系数进行分析,对U型管内的水流速度、管径的大小以及管道长度进行优化设计。计算结果表明:冷却水在低流速的层流状态不足以完全吸收太阳入射热功率;如果速度提高到过渡流和湍流态,可以选用标准的25 mm管径,最佳流速介于0.05~0.3 m/s之间,每平方米管长8 m即可满足吸热要求。

槽式PV/T系统随温度变化的特性分析

为提高太阳电池电效率同时获取可利用的热能,设计制作了槽式聚光太阳能热电联供系统并进行系统测试实验.结果表明:聚光后太阳电池阵列系统热效率随温度升高而线性下降;电池阵列峰值功率点随温度升高左移,电池特性参数FF,Pm,eη和温度影响系数由聚光前的0.735,117.4 W/m2,12.3%和-0.2 W/(m2.℃)分别下降到0.39,550 W/m2,6.9%和-5.1 W/(m2.℃).研究工作对提高槽式聚光系统效率和大规模利用聚光光伏发电提供依据,为后续工作提供参考价值.