Thermo-electro-hydraulic analysis of jet impingement bifacial photovoltaic thermal (JIBPVT) solar air collector

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 254; p. 124366
• Main Authors: Ewe, Win Eng, Fudholi, Ahmad, Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, Moshery, Refat, Asim, Nilofar, Nuriana, Wahidin, Ibrahim, Adnan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2022
• Subjects: Bifacial solar cell; Electrohydraulic; Heat transfer; Jet impingement; Photovoltaic thermal collectors; Thermohydraulic; Bifacial solar cell; Electrohydraulic; Jet impingement; Heat transfer; Thermohydraulic; Photovoltaic thermal collectors
• ISSN: 0360-5442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.124366

The effects of impinging air jet on the thermo-electro-hydraulic performance of a bifacial PVT with different packing factors are entirely unclear. Here, we have proposed a dual-functional jet plate reflectors are introduced to induce jet air cooling and increase the light absorption at the rear part of the bifacial PV module. The effects of jet plate reflectors with different configurations on the system's performance are investigated and studied. The simulation results were verified and validated with the experimental findings. Increasing the distance between jet holes reduces the interference and enhances the heat transfer, which led to higher friction and greater pumping power. Net energy gain is the key to calculate hydraulic efficiency, by subtracting the pumping power from the energy output. Therefore, the system's best performance can be explained by the lowest Re to generate max efficiencies. Jet impingement bifacial photovoltaic thermal (JIBPVT) with 36 jet-holes has the greatest jet spacing between the jet holes and optimum performance. The maximum thermal energy gain and electrical energy produced were achieved at lower critical values of Re, which are 9929 and 5667, respectively. JIBPVT has the optimum thermal, electro, and thermo-electro-hydraulic efficiencies, with 57.3%, 10.36%, and 83.93%, respectively.
•A novel design of jet impingement bifacial photovoltaic thermal (JIBPVT) solar air collector was presented.•Dual-fuctional jet plate reflectors with different geometric configurations were introduced.•A one-dimensional heat flow analytical model in steady-state was developed for JIBPVT solar air collector.•The simulation results were validated with experimental results and a good agreement was shown between them.•Thermo-electro-hydraulic analysis, which taken friction factor, pressure drop, and pumping power were discussed.