Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM

Received: 26 August 2023     Accepted: 13 September 2023     Published: 28 December 2023
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Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive study on the performance of a solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system with a single water pipe as the working fluid. The investigation focuses on mathematical modeling using the OpenFOAMv9 software package and visualization through Paraview. The primary objective is to evaluate the thermal and electrical efficiency of the PVT collector while analyzing its transient response. In this research, steady-state and transient analyses of the solar PVT system are conducted under various water mass flow rates and solar radiation levels, employing the chtMultiRegionFoam solver. The study includes the variation of water outlet temperature concerning mass flow rates for solar radiations at 700 W/m² and 1000 W/m². Simulation results closely align with analytically calculated thermal efficiencies by Chow T., demonstrating the validity of the approach. Thermal efficiency remains consistent between the two radiation levels. The analysis reveals that the electrical efficiency is superior at 700 W/m² due to reduced heating and lower silicon cell temperatures. Moreover, both thermal and electrical efficiencies exhibit an increasing trend with higher water mass flow rates. The study also presents the transient response of the PVT system when reducing the mass flow rate from 0.002 kg/s to 0.001 kg/s. The successful simulation of this PVT system classifies the employed CFD package as capable and effective. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of PVT system performance and offers insights into enhancing its efficiency under various operational conditions. The findings hold significance for the design and optimization of solar PVT systems to harness both thermal and electrical energy effectively. Additionally, the research highlights the utilization of the OpenFOAM platform for simulating this specific case.

Published in American Journal of Modern Energy (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11
Page(s) 77-83
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Solar Photovoltaic-Thermal System, Thermal Collector, OpenFOAM, Mathematical Modeling, Transient Response

References
[1] A. and S. K. Suzuki, “Combined photovoltaic and thermal hybrid collector,” Japanese journal of applied physics 19, no. S2 (1980): 79.
[2] S. G. B. K. B. Krishna R. Adhikari, “Solar Energy Potential in Nepal and Global Context,” Journal of the Institute of Engineering, vol. Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 95–106, 2014.
[3] J. J. Michael and S. Iniyan, “Performance of copper oxide/water nanofluid in a flat plate solar water heater under natural and forced circulations,” Energy Convers Manag, vol. 95, pp. 160–169, May 2015, doi: 10.1016/J.ENCONMAN.2015.02.017.
[4] C. S. Rajoria, S. Agrawal, and G. N. Tiwari, “Exergetic and enviroeconomic analysis of novel hybrid PVT array,” Solar Energy, vol. 88, pp. 110–119, Feb. 2013, doi: 10.1016/J.SOLENER.2012.11.018.
[5] T. T. Chow, “Performance analysis of photovoltaic-thermal collector by explicit dynamic model,” Solar Energy, vol. 75, no. 2, pp. 143–152, Aug. 2003, doi: 10.1016/J.SOLENER.2003.07.001.
[6] H. G. Teo, P. S. Lee, and M. N. A. Hawlader, “An active cooling system for photovoltaic modules,” Appl Energy, vol. 90, no. 1, pp. 309–315, Feb. 2012, doi: 10.1016/J.APENERGY.2011.01.017.
[7] O. Rejeb, H. Dhaou, and A. Jemni, “Parameters effect analysis of a photovoltaic thermal collector: Case study for climatic conditions of Monastir, Tunisia,” Energy Convers Manag, vol. 89, pp. 409–419, Jan. 2015, doi: 10.1016/J.ENCONMAN.2014.10.018.
[8] A. A. B. Baloch, H. M. S. Bahaidarah, P. Gandhidasan, and F. A. Al-Sulaiman, “Experimental and numerical performance analysis of a converging channel heat exchanger for PV cooling,” Energy Convers Manag, vol. 103, pp. 14–27, Oct. 2015, doi: 10.1016/J.ENCONMAN.2015.06.018.
[9] C. Good, “Environmental impact assessments of hybrid photovoltaic–thermal (PV/T) systems – A review,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 55, pp. 234–239, Mar. 2016, doi: 10.1016/J.RSER.2015.10.156.
[10] K. Sopian, H. T. Liu, S. Kakac, and T. N. Veziroglu, “Performance of a double pass photovoltaic thermal solar collector suitable for solar drying systems,” Energy Convers Manag, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 353–365, Mar. 2000, doi: 10.1016/S0196-8904(99)00115-6.
[11] R. C. Spijkerboer et al., “Out of steam? A social science and humanities research agenda for geothermal energy,” Energy Res Soc Sci, vol. 92, Oct. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2022.102801.
[12] OpenFOAM, “OpenFOAM v7 User Guide,” 2022.
[13] OpenFoam, “Paraview User’s Guide,” 2020.
[14] A. Khelifa, K. Touafek, H. Ben Moussa, I. Tabet, H. B. C. El Hocine, and H. Haloui, “Analysis of a Hybrid Solar Collector Photovoltaic Thermal (PVT),” Energy Procedia, vol. 74, pp. 835–843, Aug. 2015, doi: 10.1016/J.EGYPRO.2015.07.819.
[15] The open source CFD toolbox, “chtMultiRegionFoam: OpenFOAM: User Guide,” 2021.
[16] S. Misha, A. L. Abdullah, N. Tamaldin, M. A. M. Rosli, and F. A. Sachit, “Simulation CFD and experimental investigation of PVT water system under natural Malaysian weather conditions,” Energy Reports, vol. 6, pp. 28–44, Dec. 2020, doi: 10.1016/J.EGYR.2019.11.162.
[17] S. Bensalem, M. Chegaar, and M. Aillerie, “Solar Cells Electrical Behavior under Thermal Gradient,” Energy Procedia, vol. 36, pp. 1249–1254, Jan. 2013, doi: 10.1016/J.EGYPRO.2013.07.141.
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  • APA Style

    Dev, A., Singh Bhattarai, B. (2023). Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM. American Journal of Modern Energy, 9(4), 77-83. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11

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    ACS Style

    Dev, A.; Singh Bhattarai, B. Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM. Am. J. Mod. Energy 2023, 9(4), 77-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11

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    AMA Style

    Dev A, Singh Bhattarai B. Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM. Am J Mod Energy. 2023;9(4):77-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11,
      author = {Ashutosh Dev and Bikram Singh Bhattarai},
      title = {Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM},
      journal = {American Journal of Modern Energy},
      volume = {9},
      number = {4},
      pages = {77-83},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajme.20230904.11},
      abstract = {This paper presents a comprehensive study on the performance of a solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system with a single water pipe as the working fluid. The investigation focuses on mathematical modeling using the OpenFOAMv9 software package and visualization through Paraview. The primary objective is to evaluate the thermal and electrical efficiency of the PVT collector while analyzing its transient response. In this research, steady-state and transient analyses of the solar PVT system are conducted under various water mass flow rates and solar radiation levels, employing the chtMultiRegionFoam solver. The study includes the variation of water outlet temperature concerning mass flow rates for solar radiations at 700 W/m² and 1000 W/m². Simulation results closely align with analytically calculated thermal efficiencies by Chow T., demonstrating the validity of the approach. Thermal efficiency remains consistent between the two radiation levels. The analysis reveals that the electrical efficiency is superior at 700 W/m² due to reduced heating and lower silicon cell temperatures. Moreover, both thermal and electrical efficiencies exhibit an increasing trend with higher water mass flow rates. The study also presents the transient response of the PVT system when reducing the mass flow rate from 0.002 kg/s to 0.001 kg/s. The successful simulation of this PVT system classifies the employed CFD package as capable and effective. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of PVT system performance and offers insights into enhancing its efficiency under various operational conditions. The findings hold significance for the design and optimization of solar PVT systems to harness both thermal and electrical energy effectively. Additionally, the research highlights the utilization of the OpenFOAM platform for simulating this specific case.
    },
     year = {2023}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Numerical Modelling and Analysis of Photovoltaic-Thermal Liquid Collector Using OpenFOAM
    AU  - Ashutosh Dev
    AU  - Bikram Singh Bhattarai
    Y1  - 2023/12/28
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11
    T2  - American Journal of Modern Energy
    JF  - American Journal of Modern Energy
    JO  - American Journal of Modern Energy
    SP  - 77
    EP  - 83
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-3797
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajme.20230904.11
    AB  - This paper presents a comprehensive study on the performance of a solar photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) system with a single water pipe as the working fluid. The investigation focuses on mathematical modeling using the OpenFOAMv9 software package and visualization through Paraview. The primary objective is to evaluate the thermal and electrical efficiency of the PVT collector while analyzing its transient response. In this research, steady-state and transient analyses of the solar PVT system are conducted under various water mass flow rates and solar radiation levels, employing the chtMultiRegionFoam solver. The study includes the variation of water outlet temperature concerning mass flow rates for solar radiations at 700 W/m² and 1000 W/m². Simulation results closely align with analytically calculated thermal efficiencies by Chow T., demonstrating the validity of the approach. Thermal efficiency remains consistent between the two radiation levels. The analysis reveals that the electrical efficiency is superior at 700 W/m² due to reduced heating and lower silicon cell temperatures. Moreover, both thermal and electrical efficiencies exhibit an increasing trend with higher water mass flow rates. The study also presents the transient response of the PVT system when reducing the mass flow rate from 0.002 kg/s to 0.001 kg/s. The successful simulation of this PVT system classifies the employed CFD package as capable and effective. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of PVT system performance and offers insights into enhancing its efficiency under various operational conditions. The findings hold significance for the design and optimization of solar PVT systems to harness both thermal and electrical energy effectively. Additionally, the research highlights the utilization of the OpenFOAM platform for simulating this specific case.
    
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

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