CFD Analysis of Forced-Air Cooling for a Solar Panel by Using Innovative Convex-Concave Turbulence Models

In the paper, the forced-air cooling process was simulated at three airflow velocities (1, 1.5, and 2 m/s) on both surfaces of a solar panel. Two cooling cases were considered, differing in the arrangement of innovative convex-concave turbulence models (placed at 90° and 135° to the panel's lower surface). LabVIEW and ANSYS Fluent simulations showed that, with these turbulence models, the average temperatures of the cells and both surfaces dropped by more than 24°C and 33 °C, respectively, with cooling air evenly distributed. Higher air velocities resulted in greater temperature reductions. In Case 2, at 2 m/s, the average temperatures of the cells and the two surfaces fell to 43.62 °C and 40.71 °C, compared to 80.20 °C and 73.86 °C without cooling. ANSYS CFD and CFX simulations further revealed that forced-air cooling reduced cell temperature differences by 1-3°C more in both cases, with Case 1 (90° arrangement) achieving slightly better performance. These results confirm that convex-concave turbulence models significantly enhance forced-air cooling effectiveness, with higher airflow velocities yielding lower operating temperatures and more uniform cooling across the panel surfaces.