Optical and thermal analysis of an extended compound parabolic concentrator integrated with photovoltaic thermal system using different heat sink configurations

Abstract

This study models an extended compound parabolic concentrator-photovoltaic thermal (ECPC-PVT) system of a 2.5X concentration ratio, integrating a homogeniser to improve solar flux distribution and a heat sink configuration to manage surface heating. The study provides insights into optimizing ECPC-based PVT systems by adjusting heat sink geometry and cooling fluid parameters. Two heat sink configurations, square and circular risers with hydraulic diameters ranging from 6 mm to 16 mm, are examined for their optical and thermal performance. The Monte Carlo ray-tracing (MCRT) method is used to analyse the solar flux distribution on the ECPC receiver throughout the day from morning 7 h to evening 16 h (10/22/2024). The finite volume method (FVM) is employed to assess the photovoltaic cell temperature using ANSYS Fluent 2021 R1. Results show that the square heat sink configuration outperforms the circular configuration. The system achieves a maximum average solar flux and an optical efficiency of 1383.62 W/m² and 84.67 %, respectively. The peak outlet temperatures for square and circular risers at 16 mm are 318.41 K and 317.63 K, respectively. The maximum thermal efficiencies are 51.02 % for the square riser and 48.85 % for the circular riser, while the corresponding exergy efficiencies are 2.94 % and 2.80 %. Increasing the mass flow rate increases thermal efficiency but reduces outlet temperature and exergy efficiency. The maximum power efficiency for the square riser and circular riser is 16.30 % and 15.960 %, respectively.