Numerical Modelling of a Novel PV/T Collector Incorporated with PCM and CFM as a Cooling Method Compared with the Conventional PV/T Collector

Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technology has been a focus of extensive research for its efficiency in harnessing solar energy for simultaneous electrical and thermal energy production. Combining PV module with thermal one not only results in cooling of the PV surface and therefore higher electrical efficiency but also allows extracting heat for hot water supply. In the present comparative study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to model a PV/T collector incorporated with a phase change material (PCM) embedded within a copper foam matrix (CFM), which served as a passive and active cooling method, respectively. The newly designed PV/T collector that employs PCM embedded with CFM as a porous medium was then evaluated for thermal and electrical efficiency and compared with the conventional collector that uses PCM alone. COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to solve the governing equations. The simulation results were presented with varying mass flow rates to evaluate the impact of different parameters on system performance. It was demonstrated that integrating copper foam with 90% porosity as an active method resulted in an even temperature distribution, thus compensating for low thermal conductivity and heat accumulation by PCM. The results of the study indicated that the incorporation of CFM in the newly designed PV/T collector resulted in a higher electrical output. This new system demonstrated an improved efficiency of approximately 10–15% at varying flow rates. In general, the newly designed system demonstrated superior performance compared to conventional systems and exhibited promising potential for the market.