Energy and exergy analysis of a reversed circular flow jet impingement bifacial PVT collector: CFD simulation and experimental study

• A reversed circular flow jet impingement (RCFJI) method, designed to regulate the temperature of a PVT solar collector, is presented in this study. • The RCFJI technique fills the research gap by presenting an innovative novel approach to increase the performance of a bifacial module involving the jet impingement method. • Energy analysis of the RCFJI was carried out through CFD simulation and indoor experiment with solar irradiance (I), = 700 W/m 2 and 900 W/m 2 , while the mass flow rate (ṁ) varies from = 0.01 kg/s to 0.14 kg/s. • Overall, the highest energy performance recorded for the two methods was 11.28 % for simulation and 11.18 % for indoor experiments under 700 W/m 2 . • Meanwhile, the highest thermal performance was 63.20 % for simulation and 61.43 % for indoor experiments at 900 W/m 2 . Despite the various advantages solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) technology offers, it also has a notable downside. The PV module, a part of the PVT technology, is prone to heat gain due to solar exposure, which decreases its overall efficiency. Implementing an efficient cooling mechanism is essential in maintaining the PVT collector’s performance by regulating its temperature. A reversed circular flow jet impingement (RCFJI) method, designed to regulate the temperature of a PVT solar collector, is presented in this study. Energy and exergy analysis of the RCFJI was carried out through CFD simulation and indoor experiment with solar irradiance (I), = 700 W/m 2 and 900 W/m 2 , while the mass flow rate (ṁ) varies from = 0.01 kg/s to 0.14 kg/s. The results indicate that the highest photovoltaic efficiency obtained by the CFD simulation and indoor experiment was 11.09 % and 10.91 %, while the highest thermal efficiency was 63.20 % and 61.34 %. Results for exergy efficiency showed that the CFD simulation and indoor experiment achieved a maximum efficiency of 48.34 W and 47.27 W, subsequently, with the highest thermal exergy of 9.91 W and 9.67 W. Nevertheless, the average percentage accuracy between the two methods demonstrated a notable level of consistency, surpassing 90 % accuracy, indicating a high agreement level between the two results obtained.