Numerical study of the thermal performance of a single-channel cooling PV system using baffles and different nanofluids

Abstract

The present numerical study reports the performance of a cooling system for solar photovoltaic panels (PV) using different nanofluids (Al ₂O ₃, CuO, and ZnO). A novel parallel flow channel with strategically placed baffles was analyzed to improve the heat transfer between the back of PV and the nanofluid. The nanoparticles' Brownian motion and the nanofluid temperature effect were considered. Computational fluid dynamics was used to simulate the interaction between the fluid in motion and panel materials. Various nanoparticle concentrations, Reynolds numbers (18–1800), and solar radiation values (200–1000 W/m ²) were examined. The results showed that the nanofluid composed of CuO was the most effective, improving thermal efficiency by 5.67 % compared to pure water in the lowest Re range. A 10 % vol. concentration of Al ₂O ₃ reduced temperature by up to 15 % and increased electrical efficiency by 4 % when the Re varied from 18 to 42. However, increasing the Re number and having low solar radiation values decreased the contribution of the nanofluid. Additionally, using baffles in the flow channel improved electrical efficiency by 2 %.

Highlights

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  A detailed analysis of a single-channel cooling system for a PV panel was made.

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  Three metal-oxide nanofluids with various concentrations and inlet flows were tested.

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  Baffles were strategically incorporated into the channel to improve heat transfer.

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  Using baffles in the flow channel improved electrical efficiency by 2 %.

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  Nanofluid composed of CuO improved thermal efficiency by 5.67 %.