Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are fundamental to the renewable energy transition, yet high ambient temperatures and dust accumulation severely impair their performance in harsh climates. While nanocoatings offer a promising mitigation strategy, comparative outdoor experimental studies under Iraqi environmental conditions remain limited. This study experimentally investigates the effects of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanocoatings on the energy and exergy performance of photovoltaic modules under the prevailing meteorological conditions of Baghdad, Iraq. Three identical PV modules were monitored under the same conditions: two were coated, and one was left uncoated as a reference. During the testing period, the key electrical outputs, solar irradiance and temperature of the module were monitored and evaluated. The SiO2-coated panel showed an increase in electrical efficiency of 11.41% and a 7.2% increase was observed for the TiO2-coated panel after an exposure period of seventeen days in an outdoor environment compared to the reference PV panel. This work provides practical, realistic insights on the applicability of nanocoating technologies for large-scale PV installations in harsh climates and paves the way for the development of cheap, climate-appropriate solutions for solar energy systems in Iraq and similar environments.
The critical issue of environmental contamination caused by petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) has attracted significant attention from researchers due to its harmful effects on human health and ecosystems. The real PRW was successfully treated using Silica-Titania (SiO2/TiO2, with a weight ratio of 2.5/97.5%) as a novel photocatalyst to remove organic compounds from real wastewater in a newly designed photocatalytic radiation chamber. SiO2/TiO2 was prepared by the sol-gel technique and assessed by the XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDAX, AFM, and BET analysis. Response surface methodology was used to optimize solution pH, catalyst dosage, and reaction time. The results showed that SiO2/TiO2 dosage had the most significant impact on the COD red
... Show MoreSolar photovoltaic (PV) system has emerged as one of the most promising technology to generate clean energy. In this work, the performance of monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic module is studied through observing the effect of necessary parameters: solar irradiation and ambient temperature. The single diode model with series resistors is selected to find the characterization of current-voltage (I-V) and power-voltage (P-V) curves by determining the values of five parameters ( ). This model shows a high accuracy in modeling the solar PV module under various weather conditions. The modeling is simulated via using MATLAB/Simulink software. The performance of the selected solar PV module is tested experimentally for differ
... Show MoreThis paper presents a comparison study on thermal performance conic cut twist tape inserts in laminar flow of nanofluids through a constant heat fluxed tube. Three tape configurations, namely, quadrant cut twisted tape (QCT), parabolic half cut twisted tape (PCT), and triangular cut twisted (VCT) of twist ratio= 2.93 and cut depth= 0.5 cm were used with 1% and 2% volume concentration of SiO2/water and TiO
... Show MoreThe steady state performance of the counter rotating floating ring Journal bearing is analyzed with isothermal finite bearing theory. The effect of different parameters affecting the performance of the bearing (namely speed ratio, clearance ratio and radii ratio), have been investigated. The load carrying capacity of the bearing increasing with decreasing the radii ratio (R2/R1) of the ring and clearance ratio (c1/c2), in the other hand, the coefficient of friction increases with increasing the clearance and radii ratios, while decreases with incre4asing the bearing to journal speed ratio (γ). It is shown during this work that different operating conditions are greatly enhanced the performance
... Show MoreThe performance of a solar cell under sun radiation is necessary to describe the electrical parameters of the cell. The Prova 200 solar panel analyzer is used for the professional testing of four solar cells at Baghdad climate conditions. Voltage -current characteristics of different area solar cells operated under solar irradiation for testing their quality and determining the optimal operational parameters for maximum electrical output were obtained. A correlation is developed between solar cell efficiency h and the corresponding solar cell parameters; solar irradiance G, maximum power Pmax, and production date P. The average absolute error of the proposed correlation is 5.5% for 40 data points. The results also show th
... Show MoreConcrete pavements are essential to modern infrastructure, but their low tensile and flexural strengths can cause cracking and shrinkage. This study evaluates fiber reinforcement with steel and carbon fibers in various combinations to improve rigid pavement performance. Six concrete mixes were tested: a control mix with no fiber, a mix with 1% steel fiber (SF1%), a mix with 1% carbon fiber (CF1%), and three hybrid mixes with 1% fiber content: 0.75% steel /0.25% carbon fiber (SF0.75CF0.25), 0.25% steel /0.75% carbon fiber (SF0.25CF0.75), and 0.5% steel /0.5% carbon fiber ((SF0.5CF0.5). Laboratory experiments including compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength tests were conducted at 7, 28, and 90 days, while Finite Element Analys
... Show MoreFor modeling a photovoltaic module, it is necessary to calculate the basic parameters which control the current-voltage characteristic curves, that is not provided by the manufacturer. Generally, for mono crystalline silicon module, the shunt resistance is generally high, and it is neglected in this model. In this study, three methods are presented for four parameters model. Explicit simplified method based on an analytical solution, slope method based on manufacturer data, and iterative method based on a numerical resolution. The results obtained for these methods were compared with experimental measured data. The iterative method was more accurate than the other two methods but more complexity. The average deviation of
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