Energetic and exergetic investigation of an innovative solar collector: Experimental study

Recent studies have focused on designing new photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems to enhance the overall efficiency of photovoltaic systems, addressing the issue of surface temperatures. This study evaluates the energy and exergy performance of a new PVT featuring an inner and outer micro-fin pipe with broken double V-cuts twisted tapes. This experiment was conducted under two different stages. First, the heat transfer specification was examined at a solar irradiance of 400 W/m 2 of the suggested tube, Reynolds numbers from 730 to 3895, and four different tube designs. Secondly, energy and exergy analysis with fluid flow range from 0.01 to 0.05 kg/s, solar irradiances range from 400 to 1000 W/m 2 , and six different cooling methods (using water, different concentrations of CuO nanofluid, and nanophase change material). The results of the novel tube prove a maximum Thermohydraulic Performance Factor of 1.972 compared to the normal tube. Moreover, the results show a positive relation between fluid flow, adding more cooling methods, and the energy and exergy efficiency. The recorded electrical energy, thermal energy, electrical exergy, and total exergy achieved were 12.01 %, 83.61 %, 12.66 %, and 14.27 %, respectively. Finally, the maximum achieved power of the PVT showed an improvement of 29.4 %.