PASSIVE COOLING BY UTILIZING THECOMBINED PCM / ALUMINUM FOAM MATRIX TO IMPROVE SOLAR PANELS PERFORMANCE:   INDOOR INVESTIGATION

R. Abdulmunem, Abdulmunem

	PASSIVE COOLING BY UTILIZING THECOMBINED PCM / ALUMINUM FOAM MATRIX TO IMPROVE SOLAR PANELS PERFORMANCE: INDOOR INVESTIGATION
Iraqi journal of mechanical and material engineering
Article 1, Volume 17, Issue 4, 2017, Pages 712-723
Author
Abdulmunem R. Abdulmunem
Abstract
In this study, utilizing the PCM latent heat of fusion to absorbing the heat energy from photovoltaic panels was done. This method works as a passive cooling to regulate the PV panel’s temperature in hot climate regions. To enhance the important effective physical properties such as thermal conductivities (keff) for this material, aluminum foam matrix was used with paraffin wax. This led to good temperature distribution inside PCM and more heat absorption from PV panel. The experimental results indicated that the PV panel temperature drooped from (61.39 oC) to (46.2 oC) by using PCM only, and to (39.58oC) by using PCM/Aluminum foam matrix at the test end, (i.e. the percentage drooping of PV panel temperature was (25.03%) by using PCM only, and it was (35.51%) by using PCM/Aluminum foam matrix). This droop in temperature enhances the electrical performance of PV panel such as maximum power generated, fill factor (FF), etc. The improving in electrical efficiency of PV panel at the test end was from (10.19%) to (12.37%) with using PCM only, and to about (13%) with using PCM/Aluminum foam matrix.
Keywords
Phase Change Materials; PCM; Aluminum foam matrix; PV panel; passive cooling

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