IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i10p8125-d1148642.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of Varying Volume Fractions of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 on the Performance of Concentrated Photovoltaic System

Author

Listed:
  • Muhammad Asim

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Hanzla Tahir

    (Department of Energy System Engineering, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 46300, Pakistan)

  • Ammara Kanwal

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Fahid Riaz

    (Mechanical Engineering Department, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 59911, United Arab Emirates)

  • Muhammad Amjad

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (New Campus), Lahore 54890, Pakistan
    Chair of Thermodynamics, School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany)

  • Aamna Khalid

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (New Campus), Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Ashfaq Ahmad

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan)

  • Mohammad Abul Kalam

    (School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FEIT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia)

Abstract

Highly concentrated triple-junction solar cells (HCTJSCs) are cells that have diverse applications for power generation. Their electrical efficiency is almost 45%, which may be increased to 50% by the end of the year 2030. Despite their overwhelming ability to generate power, their efficiency is lower when utilized in a concentrated manner, which introduces a high-temperature surge, leading to a sudden drop in output power. In this study, the efficiency of a 10 mm × 10 mm multijunction solar cell (MJSC) was increased to almost 42% under the climatic conditions in Lahore, Pakistan. Active cooling was selected, where SiO 2 –water- and Al 2 O 3 –water-based nanofluids with varying volume fractions, ranging from 5% to 15% by volume, were used with a 0.001 kg/s mass flow rate. In addition, two- and three-layer microchannel heat sinks (MCHSs) with squared microchannels were designed to perform thermal management. Regarding the concentration ratio, 1500 suns were considered for 15 August at noon, with 805 W/m 2 and 110 W/m 2 direct and indirect radiation, respectively. A complete model including a triple-junction solar cell and allied assemblies was modeled in Solidworks software, followed by temperature profile generation in steady-state thermal analyses (SSTA). Thereafter, a coupling of SSTA and Ansys Fluent was made, in combination with the thermal management of the entire model, where the temperature of the TJSC was found to be 991 °C without active cooling, resulting in a decrease in electrical output. At 0.001 kg/s, the optimum average surface temperature (44.5 °C), electrical efficiency (41.97%), and temperature uniformity (16.47 °C) were achieved in the of MJSC with SiO 2 –water nanofluid with three layers of MCHS at a 15% volume fraction. Furthermore, the average outlet temperature of the Al 2 O 3 –water nanofluid at all volume fractions was high, between 29.53 °C and 31.83 °C, using the two-layer configuration. For the three-layer arrangement, the input and output temperatures of the working fluid were found to be the same at 25 °C.

Suggested Citation

  • Muhammad Asim & Muhammad Hanzla Tahir & Ammara Kanwal & Fahid Riaz & Muhammad Amjad & Aamna Khalid & Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas & Ashfaq Ahmad & Mohammad Abul Kalam, 2023. "Effects of Varying Volume Fractions of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 on the Performance of Concentrated Photovoltaic System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8125-:d:1148642
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8125/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/10/8125/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Muhammad Asim & Adnan Qamar & Ammara Kanwal & Ghulam Moeen Uddin & Muhammad Mujtaba Abbas & Muhammad Farooq & M. A. Kalam & Mohamed Mousa & Kiran Shahapurkar, 2022. "Opportunities and Challenges for Renewable Energy Utilization in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-15, September.
    2. Hussein A. Kazem & Miqdam T. Chaichan & Ali H. A. Al-Waeli & Hasila Jarimi & Adnan Ibrahim & K. Sopian, 2022. "Effect of Temperature on the Electrical and Thermal Behaviour of a Photovoltaic/Thermal System Cooled Using SiC Nanofluid: An Experimental and Comparison Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Juan Pablo Santana & Carlos I. Rivera-Solorio & Jia Wei Chew & Yong Zen Tan & Miguel Gijón-Rivera & Iván Acosta-Pazmiño, 2023. "Performance Assessment of Coupled Concentrated Photovoltaic-Thermal and Vacuum Membrane Distillation (CPVT-VMD) System for Water Desalination," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-21, February.
    4. Zia R. Tahir & Ammara Kanwal & Muhammad Asim & M. Bilal & Muhammad Abdullah & Sabeena Saleem & M. A. Mujtaba & Ibham Veza & Mohamed Mousa & M. A. Kalam, 2022. "Effect of Temperature and Wind Speed on Efficiency of Five Photovoltaic Module Technologies for Different Climatic Zones," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-32, November.
    5. María Herrando & Alba Ramos, 2022. "Photovoltaic-Thermal (PV-T) Systems for Combined Cooling, Heating and Power in Buildings: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-28, April.
    6. Badr, Farouk & Radwan, Ali & Ahmed, Mahmoud & Hamed, Ahmed M., 2022. "An experimental study of the concentrator photovoltaic/thermoelectric generator performance using different passive cooling methods," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 1078-1094.
    7. Selvaraj Balachandran & Jose Swaminathan, 2022. "Advances in Indoor Cooking Using Solar Energy with Phase Change Material Storage Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-32, November.
    8. Angel G. Fernández & Luis González-Fernández & Yaroslav Grosu & Jalel Labidi, 2022. "Physicochemical Characterization of Phase Change Materials for Industrial Waste Heat Recovery Applications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-12, May.
    9. Asmaa Ahmed & Katie Shanks & Senthilarasu Sundaram & Tapas Kumar Mallick, 2020. "Theoretical Investigation of the Temperature Limits of an Actively Cooled High Concentration Photovoltaic System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-10, April.
    10. Myrto Zeneli & Alessandro Bellucci & Gianfranco Sabbatella & Maria Fotopoulou & Vasilis Apostolopoulos & Panagiotis Stamatopoulos & Daniele M. Trucchi & Aristeidis Nikolopoulos & Dimitrios Rakopoulos, 2023. "Thermal Assessment of Dielectric Microspacer Technology Using an Advanced Three-Dimensional Simulation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, January.
    11. Jawad Sarwar & Muhammad Rizwan Shad & Arshmah Hasnain & Farman Ali & Konstantinos E. Kakosimos & Aritra Ghosh, 2021. "Performance Analysis and Comparison of a Concentrated Photovoltaic System with Different Phase Change Materials," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-17, May.
    12. Mohamed Sabry & Abdelrahman Lashin, 2023. "Performance of a Heat-Pipe Cooled Concentrated Photovoltaic/Thermoelectric Hybrid System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-13, February.
    13. Muhammad Asim & Jassinnee Milano & Hassan Izhar Khan & Muhammad Hanzla Tahir & M. A. Mujtaba & Abd Halim Shamsuddin & Muhammad Abdullah & M. A. Kalam, 2022. "Investigation of Mono-Crystalline Photovoltaic Active Cooling Thermal System for Hot Climate of Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-17, August.
    14. Muhammad Usman & Muhammad Kashif Jamil & Fahid Riaz & Haris Hussain & Ghulam Hussain & Muhammad Haris Shah & Muhammad Abdul Qyyum & Chaudhary Awais Salman & Moonyong Lee, 2021. "Refining and Reuse of Waste Lube Oil in SI Engines: A Novel Approach for a Sustainable Environment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-13, May.
    15. Mussad M. Alzahrani & Anurag Roy & Senthilarasu Sundaram & Tapas K. Mallick, 2021. "Investigation of Thermal Stress Arising in a Graphene Neutral Density Filter for Concentrated Photovoltaic System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-9, June.
    16. Ge, Minghui & Zhao, Yuntong & Li, Yanzhe & He, Wei & Xie, Liyao & Zhao, Yulong, 2022. "Structural optimization of thermoelectric modules in a concentration photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PB).
    17. Waseem Iqbal & Irfan Ullah & Seoyong Shin, 2023. "Nonimaging High Concentrating Photovoltaic System Using Trough," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-15, January.
    18. Tahir, Zia ul Rehman & Azhar, Muhammad & Blanc, Philippe & Asim, Muhammad & Imran, Shahid & Hayat, Nasir & Shahid, Hamza & Ali, Hasnain, 2020. "The evaluation of reanalysis and analysis products of solar radiation for Sindh province, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 347-362.
    19. Xia, Yang & Chen, Li & Luo, Jiwang & Tao, Wenquan, 2023. "Numerical investigation of microchannel heat sinks with different inlets and outlets based on topology optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 330(PA).
    20. Li, Guanru & Hua, Qingsong & Sun, Li & Khosravi, Ali & Jose Garcia Pabon, Juan, 2023. "Thermodynamic modeling and optimization of hybrid linear concentrating photovoltaic and mechanically pumped two-phase loop system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cameron, William J. & Alzahrani, Mussad M. & Yule, James & Shanks, Katie & Reddy, K.S. & Mallick, Tapas K., 2024. "Effects of partial shading on thermal stress and exergetic efficiency for a high concentrator photovoltaic," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    2. Wen, Xin & Ji, Jie & Li, Zhaomeng, 2023. "Evaluation of the phase change material in regulating all-day electrical performance in the PV-MCHP-TE system in winter," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PC).
    3. Wen, Xin & Ji, Jie & Li, Zhaomeng & Song, Zhiying, 2023. "Performance assessment of the hybrid PV-MCHP-TE system integrated with PCM in all-day operation: A preliminary numerical investigation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(PA).
    4. Yusuf, Aminu & Garcia, Davide Astiaso, 2023. "Energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) analyses of bifacial concentrated thermoelectric-photovoltaic systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    5. Cameron, William J. & Alzahrani, Mussad M. & Yule, James & Shanks, Katie & Reddy, K.S. & Mallick, Tapas K., 2023. "Outdoor experimental validation for ultra-high concentrator photovoltaic with serpentine-based cooling system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    6. Muhammad Usman & Haris Hussain & Fahid Riaz & Muneeb Irshad & Rehmat Bashir & Muhammad Haris Shah & Adeel Ahmad Zafar & Usman Bashir & M. A. Kalam & M. A. Mujtaba & Manzoore Elahi M. Soudagar, 2021. "Artificial Neural Network Led Optimization of Oxyhydrogen Hybridized Diesel Operated Engine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-24, August.
    7. Hossein Pourrahmani & Hamed Shakeri & Jan Van herle, 2022. "Thermoelectric Generator as the Waste Heat Recovery Unit of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A Numerical Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, April.
    8. Wang, Yunjie & Yang, Huihan & Chen, Haifei & Yu, Bendong & Zhang, Haohua & Zou, Rui & Ren, Shaoyang, 2023. "A review: The development of crucial solar systems and corresponding cooling technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    9. Li, Yanzhe & Wang, Shixue & Zhao, Yulong & Yue, Like, 2022. "Effect of thermoelectric modules with different characteristics on the performance of thermoelectric generators inserted in the central flow region with porous foam copper," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    10. Shabir Hussain Malik & Weizhong Fu & Samma Faiz Rasool & Gowhar Ahmad Wani & Shah Zaman & Najaf Ali Wani, 2023. "Investigating the Impact of Communication Factors and Stakeholders Engagement on Renewable Energy Projects in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Luo, Ding & Yan, Yuying & Li, Ying & Wang, Ruochen & Cheng, Shan & Yang, Xuelin & Ji, Dongxu, 2023. "A hybrid transient CFD-thermoelectric numerical model for automobile thermoelectric generator systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    12. Luo, Yang & Li, Linlin & Chen, Yiping & Kim, Chang Nyung, 2022. "Influence of geometric parameter and contact resistances on the thermal-electric behavior of a segmented TEG," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    13. Sun, Zeyu & Luo, Ding & Wang, Ruochen & Li, Ying & Yan, Yuying & Cheng, Ziming & Chen, Jie, 2022. "Evaluation of energy recovery potential of solar thermoelectric generators using a three-dimensional transient numerical model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    14. Xu, Aoqi & Xie, Changjun & Xie, Liping & Zhu, Wenchao & Xiong, Binyu & Gooi, Hoay Beng, 2024. "Performance prediction and optimization of annular thermoelectric generators based on a comprehensive surrogate model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    15. Younus Hamoudi Assaf & Abdulrazzak Akroot & Hasanain A. Abdul Wahhab & Wadah Talal & Mothana Bdaiwi & Mohammed Y. Nawaf, 2023. "Impact of Nano Additives in Heat Exchangers with Twisted Tapes and Rings to Increase Efficiency: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    16. Ahmed T. Okasha & Fahad Ghallab Al-Amri & Taher Maatallah & Nagmeldeen A. M. Hassanain & Abdullah Khalid Alghamdi & Richu Zachariah, 2022. "Numerical Study of Single-Layer and Stacked Minichannel-Based Heat Sinks Using Different Truncating Ratios for Cooling High Concentration Photovoltaic Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
    17. Wang, Hui & Wang, Zelin & Qu, Zhiguo & Zhang, Jianfei, 2023. "Deep-learning accelerating topology optimization of three-dimensional coolant channels for flow and heat transfer in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 352(C).
    18. He, Wei & Zhang, Jifang & Guo, Rui & Pei, Chenchen & Li, Hailong & Liu, Shengchun & Wei, Jie & Wang, Yulin, 2022. "Performance analysis and structural optimization of a finned liquid-cooling radiator for chip heat dissipation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    19. Cameron, William James & Reddy, K. Srinivas & Mallick, Tapas Kumar, 2022. "Review of high concentration photovoltaic thermal hybrid systems for highly efficient energy cogeneration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    20. Zia R. Tahir & Ammara Kanwal & Muhammad Asim & M. Bilal & Muhammad Abdullah & Sabeena Saleem & M. A. Mujtaba & Ibham Veza & Mohamed Mousa & M. A. Kalam, 2022. "Effect of Temperature and Wind Speed on Efficiency of Five Photovoltaic Module Technologies for Different Climatic Zones," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-32, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:10:p:8125-:d:1148642. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.