The annual performance of a hybrid system of a flat plate photovoltaic thermal system and a solar thermal collector (PVT/ST) is numerically analyzed from the energy, exergy, and environmental (CO2 reduction) viewpoints. This system can produce electricity and thermal power simultaneously, with higher thermal power and exergy compared to conventional photovoltaic thermal systems. For this purpose, a 3D transient numerical model is developed for investigating the system's performance in four main steps: (1) investigating the effects of the mass flow rate of the working fluid (20 to 50 kg/h) on the temperature behavior and thermodynamic performance of the system, (2) studying the impacts of using glass covers on the different parts of the system, (3) evaluating the annual energy and exergy analyses of the system under Mashhad weather conditions, and (4) examining the CO2 reduction by using the proposed system. The results show that for the (glazed) PVT and (glazed) ST systems, increasing the mass flow rate of the working fluid from 20 to 50 kg/h results in 22% and 1.5% improvements in both thermal and electrical power, respectively. However, the thermal exergy of the system decreases by 40.1%. Furthermore, the (glazed) PVT/(glazed) ST systems generate approximately 86% and 264% more thermal power and energy than the PVT/ST systems, respectively. Using a (glazed) PVT/(glazed) ST system with a working fluid’s mass flow rate of 50 kg/h results in maximum thermal and electrical efficiencies of 40.7% and 16.22%, respectively. According to the annual analysis, the highest average thermal and electrical power, equal to approximately 338.3 and 24 W, respectively, is produced in August. The amount of CO2 reduction increases by increasing the mass flow rate and using a glass cover. The PVT/(glazed)ST system has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 426.3 kg per year.
In this work, a flat-plate solar air heater (FSAH) and a tubular solar air heater (TSAH) were designed and tested numerically. The work investigates the effect of increasing the contact area between the flowing air and the absorber surface of each heater and predicts the expected results before the fabrication of the experimental rig. Three-dimensional two models were designed and simulated by the ANSYS-FLUENT 16 Program. The solar irradiation and ambient air temperature were measured experimentally on December 1st 2022, at the weather conditions of Baghdad City- Iraq, at three air mass flow rates, 0.012 kg/s, 0.032 kg/s, and 0.052 kg/s. The numerical results showed the advantage in the thermal performance of
... Show MoreUtilizing phase change materials in thermal energy storage systems is commonly considered as an alternative solution for the effective use of energy. This study presents numerical simulations of the charging process for a multitube latent heat thermal energy storage system. A thermal energy storage model, consisting of five tubes of heat transfer fluids, was investigated using Rubitherm phase change material (RT35) as the. The locations of the tubes were optimized by applying the Taguchi method. The thermal behavior of the unit was evaluated by considering the liquid fraction graphs, streamlines, and isotherm contours. The numerical model was first verified compared with existed experimental data from the literature. The outcomes re
... Show More<p>Photovoltaic (PV) systems are becoming increasingly popular; however, arc faults on the direct current (DC) side are becoming more widespread as a result of the effects of aging as well as the trend toward higher DC voltage levels, posing severe risk to human safety and system stability. The parallel arc faults present higher level of current as compared with the series arc faults, making it more difficult to spot the series arc. In this paper and for the aim of condition monitoring, the features of a DC series arc fault are analyzed by analysing the arc features, performing model’s simulation in PSCAD, and carrying out experimental studies. Various arc models are simulated and investigated; for low current arcs, the heur
... Show MoreIn the current research, the work concentrated on studying the effect of curvature of solar parabolic trough solar collector on wind loading coefficients and dynamic response of solar collector. The response of collector to the aerodynamic loading was estimated numerically and experimentally. The curvature of most public parabolic trough solar collectors was investigated and compared. The dynamic response of solar collector due to wind loading was investigated by using numerical solution of fluid-structure interaction concept. The experimental work was done to verify the numerical results and shows good agreement with numerical results. The numerical results were obtained by using finite element software package (ANSYS 14). It was found
... Show MoreWater is the basis of the existence of all kinds of life, so obtaining it with good quality represents a challenge to human existence and development especially in the desert and remote cities because these areas contain small populations and water purification requires great materials and huge amounts of fossil fuels resulting pollution of the environment. Cheap and environmentally friendly desalination methods have been done by using solar distillations. Passive solar stills have low yields, so in this research, the problem is overcome by connecting four heat pipes which are installed on the parabolic concentrator reflector with passive solar still to increase the temperature of hot water to more than 90°C, as a resul
... Show MoreA design for a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) assembly with a water-cooled heat sink was planned, constructed, and experimentally evaluated in the climatic conditions of the southern region of Iraq during the summertime. The water-cooled heat sink was applied to thermally manage the PV cells, in order to boost the electrical output of the PVT system. A set of temperature sensors was installed to monitor the water intake, exit, and cell temperatures. The climatic parameters including the wind velocity, atmospheric pressure, and solar irradiation were also monitored on a daily basis. The effects of solar irradiation on the average PV temperature, electrical power, and overall electrical-thermal efficiency were investigated. The findings i
... Show MoreThis paper presents the design, construction and investigates an experimental study of a parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTSC). It is constructed of multi – piece glass mirror to form the parabolic reflector (1.8 m ? 2.8 m) its form were checked with help of a laser and carbon steel rectangular as receiver. Sun tracker has been developed (using two – axis) to track solar PTSC according to the direction of beam propagation of solar radiation. Using synthetic oil as a heat transfer its capability to heat transfer and load high temperature (?400 oc). The storage tank is fabricated with stainless steel of size 50 L. The experimental tests have been carried out in Baghdad climatic conditions (33.3o N, 44.4o E) during selective days of the
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