Energy and exergy analysis of a photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system using nanofluids: An experimental study

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the electrical, thermal and exergy efficiencies of a photovoltaic/ thermal (PV/T) system cooled by Ag/water nanofluid. The utilized nanofluid was prepared by a one-step method of electrical explosion of wire (EEW) and was tested for long-term stability and uniformity. The performance of the PV/T system was measured by considering a wide range of parameters to determine key performance indicators such as electrical and thermal energy efficiency as well as exergy efficiency of the system. The effects of mass flow (i.e. different flow regimes of laminar, transient, and turbulent) on efficiencies were studied. The results showed that using nanofluids for cooling of the PV/T system can enhance both the energy and exergy efficiencies of the system significantly. It was also found that this positive impact is more pronounced by increasing the concentration of the nanofluid and increasing the flow rate (i.e. moving towards a turbulent flow). By using 4 wt% nanofluid (with turbulent flow) the power output of the panel increased by ∼35% and ∼10% compared to when no cooling and water cooling were applied respectively; and the exergy efficiency was also determined to be 50% and 30% higher than when no cooling and water cooling were used, respectively.