Cooling of Concentrated Photovoltaic System Using Various Configurations of Phase-Change Material Heat Sink

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Emam ◽  
Mahmoud Ahmed ◽  
Shinichi Ookawara
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Thermal Dissipation ◽  
Thermal Regulation ◽  
Change Material ◽  
Single Cavity

In the current work, a hybrid system including Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) and phase change material (PCM) as a heat sink is considered as a single module to achieve high solar conversion efficiency. The main objective is to accelerate the thermal dissipation with a longer thermal regulation period. Thus, a new CPV-PCM system using various configurations of the PCM heat sink and different combinations of PCMs is investigated. This study presents a numerical simulation of the effects of PCM materials and designs on the CPV-PCM system performance. To estimate the thermal performance of the new CPV-PCM system, a comprehensive 2-D model for CPV layers integrated with PCMs is developed. This model couples a thermal model for CPV layers and a thermo-fluid model that considers the phase-change phenomenon using the enthalpy method. The model is numerically simulated at different configurations and combinations of PCM with various ranges of phase transition temperatures. Three different configurations of PCMs are investigated: one with a single cavity, and two with parallel arrangements including three and five cavities. Results indicate that the use of PCM heat sinks with three and five cavities increases the heat transfer inside the PCM and achieves a significant reduction of the solar cell temperature compared with a single cavity CPV-PCM system. Furthermore, thermal regulation effect and temperature uniformity of the CPV-PCM system is enhanced by using various combinations of PCMs.

Operational Time and Melt Fraction Based Optimization of a Phase Change Material Longitudinal Fin Heat Sink

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Jaya Krishna
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Melting Behavior ◽  
Base Temperature ◽  
Critical Temperatures ◽  
Volume Of Fluid Model ◽  
Change Material ◽  
Operational Time

Abstract In the present study, the numerical investigation has been performed for a phase change material (PCM)-based longitudinal fin heat sink. The fins are taken as an integral part of the heat sink and are made up of aluminum. The PCM considered in the study is RT44HC. Heat is transferred to the heat sink through its horizontal base. In order to simulate the melting behavior of the PCM, volume of fluid model has been used. To attain the best configuration with optimum operational time, Taguchi method has been used followed by analysis of melt fraction and maximum base temperature. The optimized heat sink configuration with maximum operational time has been obtained at the critical temperatures of 54.8 °C, 63 °C, and 72.6 °C.

scholarly journals Solar Photovoltaic Panels with Finned Phase Change Material Heat Sinks

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeti Singh ◽  
Sourav Khanna ◽  
Sanjeev Newar ◽  
Vashi Sharma ◽  
K. Reddy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Thermal Output ◽  
Latent Heat Capacity ◽  
Pv Cooling ◽  
Change Material

Phase change material (PCM) based passive cooling of photovoltaics (PV) can be highly productive due to high latent heat capacity. However, the low rate of heat transfer limits its usefulness. Thus, the presented work aims at the improvement in PV cooling by using finned PCM (FPCM) heat sinks. In the present study, PCM heat sink and FPCM heat sinks were investigated numerically for PV cooling and the extracted heat is used for space heating. 4 kWp PV, PV-PCM and PV-FPCM systems were studied under the weather conditions of Southeast of England. It was observed that the PCM heat sinks can drop the peak PV temperature by 13 K, whereas FPCM heat sinks can enhance the PV cooling by 19 K. The PCM heat sinks can increase the PV electrical efficiency from 13% to 14%. Moreover, the daily electricity generation can be boosted by 7% using PCM and 8% by using FPCM heat sinks. In addition, 7 kWh of thermal output was achieved using the FPCM heat sink, and the overall efficiency of system increased from 13% to 19%.

Numerical Study of Performance Enhancement of Single-Shot Heat Sinks Using Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Material

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Cotoros ◽  
Ab Hashemi
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Performance Enhancement ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Single Shot ◽  
Change Material

A numerical model and analysis has been performed on a state-of-the art one shot heat sink including an eicosane/carbon nanotubes (CNT) system of nano-enhanced phase change material (NEPCM). The nanoparticles, dispersed in the PCM liquid phase, can form a network of interconnected ballistic heat transport lines, thus increasing the thermal conductivity of the PCM by almost two orders of magnitude. The results show that the heat sink can be operated with a 40% higher heat load, for an extra 42% time, or with a 29% lighter mass, before the electronics reach the allowable maximum temperature.

Thermal Performance of a Phase Change Material-Based Heat Sink Subject to Constant and Power Surge Heat Loads: A Numerical Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Akula ◽  
C. Balaji
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Heat Load ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Constant Heat ◽  
Change Material

Abstract A power surge is a frequent phenomenon that occurs in electronics. Inadequate and improper cooling during power surges results in a rapid increase in operating temperatures that may lead to failure of the electronics. In the present investigation, the thermal characteristics of a phase change material (PCM)-based heat sinks, having different configurations and orientations of fins, subject to (i) constant heat load and (ii) heat load with a power surge, are studied numerically. Preliminary investigations showed that a heat sink with PCM gets heated at a much lower temperature than an air cooled heat sink. Following this, four finned heat sinks are considered for further investigations. The heat sink with PCM, sans fins, is used for baseline comparison. The orientation of fins in the other four heat sinks is either vertical or horizontal with square and rectangular cross sections. The heat sink and fins are made of aluminum, and the PCM used is n-eicosane (C20 H42). The enthalpy-porosity method is used to model the solid–liquid phase change in the PCM. All the transient three-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out using ansys fluent 15.0. For a constant heat load of 5 W and power surges of various magnitudes at different time instants, the heat sink with vertical square fins shows superior performance. However, the performance variation among the heat sinks with different fin configurations is insignificant for constant heat load. Even so, for power surges, the location and the configuration of fins have a significant effect on the heater temperature. Cases with high power surge and shorter duration of the surge were also considered to critically examine the effect of fins in controlling the maximum temperature in the heat sink. The numerical results of the best-performing heat sink, i.e., the heat sink with vertical square fins, are finally validated against in-house experiments.

Design and Testing of Passive Sensor Cooling Using Phase Change Material

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Pecson ◽  
Craig Perkins ◽  
Ab Hashemi
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Material ◽  
Laser Diode ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Manufacturing Testing ◽  
Metal Casing ◽  
Change Material

Passive heat rejection from a weapon system deployed in space is a challenging problem. This paper describes the development of a phase-change material mini heat sink to absorb the heat from a laser diode for the required operational scenario. Three mini heat sinks made of aluminum, copper, and copper tungsten were designed and manufactured. Phase change material (PCM) was selected to accommodate required heat dissipation from a laser diode. Metal fins, attached to the metal casing of the heat sink, were placed into the PCM to uniformly spread the heat and achieve effective heat transfer. Analytical models were developed to predict the performance of the heat sink. The heat sink was manufactured and initially tested in the laboratory with simulated heat load. Then, tests were carried out under prototypical conditions and the performance of the sink was demonstrated. A comparison of the analytical predictions with data also showed excellent agreement. This paper presents the design, modeling, manufacturing, testing, and comparison of the predictions with experimental results.

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