Experimental Investigation of Thermal Performance of a Multipurpose PV Solar Collector Wall With Phase Change Material

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeda Chantawong
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
External Layer ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Change Material

The author reports an experimental investigation of the thermal performance of a multipurpose photovoltanic (PV) solar wall with phase change material (PVSW-PCM). The PVSW-PCM configuration was made of double layers. The external layer consists of a 12 Wp photovoltaic panel attached to a 15 cm thick PCM tank integrating water pipes. The internal wall is an ordinary clear glass pane. There is an 8 cm air gap between the two layers. The PVSW-PCM was integrated into the southern side of a small house of 4.05 m3 volume built by autoclaved aerated concrete block walls 0.07 m thick. On top of the external layer, three glass blocks (3 × 0.2 × 0.2 cm2) are installed to ensure indoor illumination. The absorbed solar radiation by the PV panel and PCM heats the water in the pipes and the air in the gap. The hot water produced is stored in a 10 liters tank located near the roof. At the inner lower part (room side) and the external upper part (ambient) of the gap, a small DC fan (12 V, 0.48 A) box was installed. The fans were connected to the PV panel directly to enhance indoor ventilation. The investigation considered both natural (fans OFF) and PV assisted ventilation. Another similar house without the PVSW-PCM referred to as glass wall (GW) was built and used as a reference for comparison. The experimental results revealed that the indoor temperature of the PVSW-PCM house was considerably lower than that of the GW house. Moreover, the PVSW-PCM could produce hot water temperature of 55–62 °C and induce a ventilation rate proportional to the intensity of solar radiation. Indoor illumination was sufficient for general house use. Therefore, the PVSW-PCM offers a new alternative for architects and engineers to reduce electric energy use for producing hot water and ventilation and save electrical energy consumption of air conditioner, as the indoor temperature is lower than that of the conventional house.

scholarly journals Thermal Performance of Phase Change Material Based Heat Sink for Solar Photovoltaic Cooling

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 3320-3323 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Paraffin Wax ◽  
Transient Temperature ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Pv Panel ◽  
Change Material

Solar photovoltaic panels can receive only eighty percent of total incident solar radiation. A small amount of incident energy is transformed into electrical energy based on the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) cell. The remaining energy leads to an increase in photovoltaic cell operating temperature which affects its life and power output. Cooling of PV panel is the best way to improve the efficiency either by passive or active cooling methods. PV cooling by Phase change materials (PCM) is the best effective technique. Paraffin wax is a non toxic material having high latent heat of fusion used for many thermal applications. In this study, paraffin wax is taken as phase change material in aluminum heat sink with fins. Using DSC, the melting point of paraffin wax is analysed. The flat plate heater is used instead of solar PV panel. Different wattages are used for the experiments. Different inclinations such as horizontal (00 ), vertical (900 ) and intermediate (450 ) were taken in to consideration. The melting starts at 50oC and complete melting occurs at a temperature around 60oC for the paraffin based heat sink. The heat sink surface temperatures, fin temperatures and PCM temperatures are measured. The transient temperature distribution of heat sink, PCM is analysed at different wattage inputs. The total thermal performance of this paraffin PCM based heat sink was analysed experimentally. This infers that the cooling of high temperature of PV panels can be done by using paraffin based PCM to increase the efficiency and life of the panels.

Experimental Research on Thermal Performance of Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Material Floor

Solar Energy ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Xu ◽  
Hongfa Di ◽  
Kunping Lin ◽  
Yinping Zhang ◽  
Rui Yang
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Simulation Research ◽  
Temperature Swing ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Saving Effect ◽  
Change Material

Experimental study was conducted on the thermal performance and energy saving effect of a room with shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM). The results showed that the mean indoor temperature of the room with PCM floor was about 2°C higher than that of the room with normal floor and the indoor temperature swing range narrowed greatly. The results also manifested that by applying shape-stabilized PCM in room suitably, the thermal comfort level could be raised and space heating energy in winter could be saved. Finally, the experimental results enriched the database for the further modeling and simulation research.

Experimental Study on the Thermal Performance of the Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Material Floor Used in Passive Solar Buildings

2005 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinping Zhang ◽  
Xu Xu ◽  
Hongfa Di ◽  
Kunping Lin ◽  
Rui Yang
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Radiation Energy ◽  
Indoor Temperature ◽  
Simulation Research ◽  
Floor Systems ◽  
Apparent Specific Heat ◽  
Heating Energy Consumption ◽  
Change Material

The novel shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) has the following salient features: large apparent specific heat for the phase change temperature region, suitable thermal conductivity, and the ability to keep the shape stabilized when it undergoes a phase change. In this technical brief, we put forward a kind of shape-stabilized PCM floor that is able to absorb solar radiation energy in the daytime and to release the heat at night in winter. The thermal performance of a prototype room using such a floor was studied. The experiments show that the mean indoor temperature of a room with the PCM floor is about 2°C higher than that of the room without a PCM floor, and the indoor temperature swing range is obviously minimized. Therefore, installing shape-stabilized PCM in a room may increase the degree of thermal comfort and reduce space heating energy consumption in winter. In addition, the experimental results provide data for modeling and simulation research for such PCM floor systems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document