Effect of Temperature on the Electrical and Thermal Behaviour of a Photovoltaic/Thermal System Cooled Using SiC Nanofluid: An Experimental and Comparison Study

Abstract

A photovoltaic/thermal system (PV/T) was investigated experimentally using silicon carbide nanofluid as a cooling fluid. A PV/T system was tested in Oman with 0.5 wt.% of nanoparticles in terms of thermophysical properties, performance parameters, and efficiencies. At 25 °C, it was found that there is an increase in the fluid’s thermal conductivity, density, and viscosity up to 6.64%, 13%, and 12%, respectively. When examining the effect of increasing the density and viscosity (by adding nanoparticles to the base fluid) on the pumping power, it was found that using turbulent flow reduces the required pumping force and vice versa for the case of laminar flow. The electrical efficiency was enhanced by up to 25.3% compared with the conventional PV module and the thermal efficiency by up to 98.6% compared with the water-cooling PV/T system. The results were compared with the literature in terms of cooling methods, nanoparticles, and similar studies that used SiC nanofluid. The results and comparison of this study are useful for engineers and researchers interested in nanofluid cooling of PV/T systems. The study aims to facilitate the task of engineers and designers of photovoltaic plants in Oman to obtain the best means to overcome the effects of high solar radiation intensity and high ambient temperatures and the best PV/T systems for this purpose.