Design and Performance Evaluation of Pyramid, Hexagonal and Conical Forms as Solar Panels

In this study, we measured the temperature, power output and effectiveness of unusually shaped solar panels cooled by forced airflow. Three shapes were considered: a square pyramid, a hexagonal pyramid and a cone. Each shape has an equal lateral surface area. The lateral surfaces were subjected to identical heat flux values during the simulation, which was run using the ANSYS CFD software. Through trap doors at the base of each structure, the air was fed as a coolant fluid to cool the panels while keeping a consistent inlet temperature. We looked at two airflow velocities (0.5 m/s, 1 m/s) and three distinct heat flux values (0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 kW/m2) for each shape. The findings showed that, in comparison to other panel designs, the conical-shaped solar panel offers us greater thermal performance. The conical shape obtained the lowest temperature with a temperature of five degrees Celsius below the hexagonal pyramid shape and nine degrees below the square pyramid shape. Additionally, the conical-shaped panel was found to have the highest efficiency and power output, and the hexagonal pyramid panel had a higher efficiency and power output than the square pyramid panel.