Numerical investigation of metallic porous structures for passive thermal management and desalination of dual-use floatovoltaic systems

Water scarcity is increasingly recognized as a consequence of population growth, industrial activity, and climate variability. Deployable solar-thermal desalination units are therefore being investigated for remote or storm-damaged coastal regions. Dual-use thermal management systems based on membranes and metallic wicks have been recently proposed to passively manage photovoltaic cell temperatures and yield freshwater resources from low-grade waste heat. In the present study, a two-dimensional, steady-state heat-and-mass-transfer model was formulated to quantify the thermohydraulic performance of simple and complex metallic porous wick structures mounted underneath floatovoltaic panels. Wick porosity (porosity from 0.30 to 0.70) and solar irradiation (100–900 W m −2 ) were parametrically varied, and distillate flux, pressure drop, dry-out risk, and salt diffusion/precipitation were predicted. Flat nickel wicks were first benchmarked and subsequently, different wick configuration including bi-porous, bi-layer and L-shaped geometries were assessed. Fully saturated operation was maintained and the maximum pressure loss remained below the 2455 Pa capillary limit. It was determined that only after substantial brine concentration up to 0.18 to 0.22 kg/kg would wicks approach hazardous supersaturation. A 32 % higher flux and a 39 % lower peak salinity were obtained with an L-shaped wick, whereas alternating 0.4/0.7 bi-porous layers preserved the reference pressure drop while smoothing local drag. The results define a safe design envelope and indicate that optimized nickel wicks can simultaneously cool photovoltaic cells and supply freshwater from seawater and brine resources, supporting the feasibility of dual-use floatovoltaic systems. • Wick-based passive pumping system for floatovoltaic thermal management and desalination • Multiphysics modeling of porous metal wicks for pumping, cooling, and salt diffusion • Wick bulk properties studied for dryout, clogging, and cooling under solar irradiance • Simple wicks with porosity ∼0.5 avoid dryout and clogging, showing desalination potential