EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERATURE REGULATION OF CONCENTRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC USING HEAT SPREADING AND PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL COOLING METHOD

J Sarwar, M Brown, S McCormack, M Huang, B Norton

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) system is based on the concept of using optics to focus sunlight on a cell to reduce its area by the concentration ratio. The increased concentration results in higher cell temperatures which contribute in both short term efficiency loss and long term (irreversible damage) degradation. The passive cooling system can be used effectively to control the temperature of the cell even at higher concentrations. The passive cooling technique investigated in this paper involves combination of sensible and latent cooling to regulate the temperature of the cell. The sensible cooling was performed using aluminium on the back of the cell which acts as heat sink to dissipate heat from the cell and then latent cooling was performed using phase change material (PCM) to further regulate its temperature and storing the available heat to use later for different applications. The first experiment was performed by monitoring the temperature of the cell and this serves as a reference to compare. The next experiment was performed by attaching aluminium on the back of the cell which serves as heat sink and temperature evolution of the cell was monitored. Then thermal regulation and heat storage technique was employed using combination of heat spreading and phase change materials, namely, Capric acid, Lauric acid and Calcium chloride hexa hydrate (CaCl2.6H2O). These PCM were characterized before to find their thermo-physical properties using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Temperature History Method (THM). The temperature of the cell, without any heat dissipation technique, was ~136 oC. The maximum thermal regulation was achieved with CaCl2.6H2O and maximum temperature reached was ~79 oC.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2nd International Energy Storage Conference: "Sustainable Energy Storage in Buildings"
Place of PublicationDublin, Ireland
Number of pages11
Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - Jun 2013
Event2nd International Energy Storage Conference: "Sustainable Energy Storage in Buildings" - Dublin, Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 19 Jun 201321 Jun 2013

Conference

Conference2nd International Energy Storage Conference: "Sustainable Energy Storage in Buildings"
Country/TerritoryIreland
CityDublin
Period19/06/1321/06/13

Keywords

  • Concentrated Photovoltaic
  • Passive cooling
  • Heat spreading method
  • Phase Change Material (PCM)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERATURE REGULATION OF CONCENTRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC USING HEAT SPREADING AND PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL COOLING METHOD'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this