3D numerical study of a PVT system with hBN/Water nanofluid: Influence of mass flow rate on electrical and thermal performance

Heat accumulation in photovoltaic-thermal systems (PVT-Ss) cells typically limits their performance by reducing their electrical and thermal efficiency. In response to this issue, this three-dimensional numerical study was conducted using COMSOL software to analyze the performance of a PVT-S using hBN/water nanofluid as a heat transfer fluid. The main objective was to assess the effect of fluid mass flow rate on cell temperature, fluid outlet temperature, and electrical and thermal efficiency. The study was conducted for mass flow rates of 15, 45, 95, 145, and 195 L/h, with an inlet temperature of 26°C and solar irradiance of 1100 W/m². The results show that increasing the flow rate leads to a significant decrease in cell and outlet fluid temperatures, from 58.049°C to 35.939°C and from 55.477°C to 31.164°C, respectively. Due to this thermal improvement, the electrical and thermal efficiency increased by 10.462% and 56.091%, respectively.