Advanced thermo-hydraulic analysis of wavy mini-channel heat sinks for enhanced photovoltaic cooling applications

This research conducts a comprehensive numerical evaluation into an advanced heat dissipation system for low-concentrated photovoltaic systems, addressing the limitations of conventional minichannel heat sink designs. To overcome their inherent inefficiencies, a novel minichannel configuration with wavy surfaces and a trapezoidal inlet section (TWMC) is proposed, aiming to enhance convective heat transfer through increased surface area and induced flow turbulence. Three configurations wavy minichannel (TWMC), trapezoidal minichannel (TMC), and rectangular minichannel (RMC) are systematically compared in terms of key performance metrics, including thermal resistance, Nusselt number, pressure loss, and friction index. Water serves as the coolant, operating in a laminar flow regime (Re = 200–900) and absorbing a uniform heat flux of 100 KW/m 2 applied to the channel base. Results demonstrate that the TWMC configuration outperforms conventional designs, achieving a 30.82% decline in heat resistance and a 9.2% surge in Nusselt number at peak Reynolds numbers. The TWMC design improves the performance evaluation criterion (PEC) to 1.06, with exceptional overall thermohydraulic performance PEC(R) ranging from 1.078 to 1.271, despite higher pressure drop. These findings offer insights into optimizing CPV system performance, emphasizing the potential of innovative wavy-channel geometries to revolutionize thermal management and energy efficiency in advanced photovoltaic applications.