Performance Analysis of a Novel Flat Copper Tube Loop-Heat-Pipe PV/T System Under Different Solar Resource Regions
摘要
This paper aims to investigate a novel flat copper tube loop heat pipe PV/T system for application in different solar resource regions in China. The innovations of this novel system are addressed in using PV-bound flat copper tubes array as PV/evaporator and a top-supply-top-return configuration for the loop, which can enhance the uniformity of temperature across the PV panel and the solar energy utilization efficiencies. A mathematical model of the system is developed using the energy balance equation and the accuracy of the model is verified experimentally. The performance of the system, in its year-round operation across various typical cities in different solar resource regions, is analyzed based on the validated model. Three cities’ weather data are selected as boundary conditions for performance analysis. The simulated results show that the average annual electrical efficiency of the system is 17%, 16.8%, and 17.6% when the system is operated in these three regions. The average annual thermal efficiencies are 42.5%, 37.3%, and 35.4%, respectively. The performance of the system is stable and can be applied to cities with different solar resource conditions.