Efficiency enhancement of photovoltaic solar panels using hybrid cooling systems with cross-shaped fins and porous foam
M. Sheikholeslami, Mohammed Al-Bujasim
Abstract
This study conducts a simulation to boost the efficiency of a monocrystalline photovoltaic (PV) panel by integrating advanced cooling techniques with optical concentration using reflectors. A 12-cell, 30 W PV panel was outfitted with parabolic reflectors on both sides, achieving a concentration ratio of 3 to enhance the incident solar radiation. To manage the resulting heat, a nanofluid cooling system was applied using five copper riser pipes and larger headers for uniform flow distribution. The working fluid consisted of water with silver nano-powders at a volume fraction of 0.015 (dimensionless), ensuring a homogeneous mixture. Thermal performance was further improved with cross-shaped fins and high-porosity aluminum foam (porosity = 0.914). Four configurations were analyzed: nanofluid only, nanofluid with fins, nanofluid with foam, and nanofluid with both enhancements. Simulations were conducted under laminar flow for Reynolds numbers of 400–1600 using ANSYS FLUENT 19.2 and the Discrete Ordinates model to determine solar flux . A multilayer PV structure was modeled, and solar intensity was defined via user-defined functions. Validation against existing study yielded strong agreement (<0.12 % error), and grid independence was confirmed with over 5.5 million mesh elements. Key results showed that at Re = 400, fins improved electrical and thermal efficiency by 3.6 % and 9.12 %, while foam led to gains of 4.8 % and 12.11 %. At Re = 1600, the convective heat transfer increased by a factor of 1.25 with fins and 7.44 with foam. The highest total efficiency of 62.44 % occurred at Re = 600 with foam, and the maximum performance evaluation criterion reached 3.14. These results underscore the effectiveness of combining nanofluids, porous foam, and fins in mitigating thermal issues and improving the performance of concentrated PV systems.