Mathematical Modeling of a Nano-Engineerd Dual-Fluid Photovoltaic/Thermal System
Abstract
Integrating photovoltaic (PV) cells with solar thermal collector is found beneficial and attractive because of simultaneous production of electricity and heat. In this paper, a transient mathematical model of a bi-fluid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) or hybrid-PV system is developed using nanofluid and air as the dual heat exchanger systems. For nanofluid, aluminum oxide (〖Al〗_2 O_3) nanoparticles with different concentrations of 0.15 wt%, 0.3 wt%, 0.45 wt%, and 0.6 wt% are dispersed in pure water as a base fluid. Experimental validation of the mathematical model is performed using results from previous study. The interdependence transient temperature responses of the PV/T collector components are simulated using MATLAB® software. The overall collector performance is predicted and compared when the fluids are to be operated in independent and simultaneous modes of operation. The simulation results indicate that when the fluids are operated simultaneously, the collector performance is better than independent mode, but the nanofluid & air based PV/T collector provides a higher performance in comparison to conventional heat exchanger systems used in this study.