Title: Energy and exergy analysis of a PV/thermal storage system design integrated with nano-enhanced phase changing material

Authors: Alper Ergün

Addresses: Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Karabuk University, 78050, Karabuk, Turkey

Abstract: Nanotechnology and heat storage applications are among the most popular fields of the researchers in recent years. In this study, three different CPV/T systems were analysed experimentally under the same conditions for four days. While no modifications on the CPV were made in the first system, the rear of the panel used in the second system was covered with a phase changing material (PCM). In the third system, together with PCM, nano-sized aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) particle in a weight percentage of 5% was added into the system (namely, nano-enhanced PCM). The experimental analysis revealed that 8% more power output and module efficiency were obtained from the system with the PCM and the nano-enhanced PCM compared to the normal system. These systems which were also designed with a heat storage have an average of 42 W thermal energy gain. As the exergy analysis results show, the exergy destruction of the system with the nano-enhanced PCM was found to be lower than that of the PCM system, while exergy efficiency was found to be 14% higher in the former system.

Keywords: nano-enhanced PCM; Ne-PCM; concentrated photovoltaic; CPV; heat storage; photovoltaic-thermal.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2020.107745

International Journal of Exergy, 2020 Vol.32 No.1, pp.82 - 101

Received: 18 Jul 2019
Accepted: 02 Dec 2019
Published online: 12 Jun 2020 *

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