Thermally Coupled CPV–DCMD System with Co-Designed Finned Microchannel Cooling and Baffled DCMD Channels

Concentrated photovoltaic cooling and membrane distillation channel enhancement are commonly investigated as separate design problems, without considering the quality of the recovered heat available to the desalination unit. This study presents a thermally coupled CPV–DCMD system in which the cooling and desalination components are systematically co-designed. Validated numerical models were used to compare six internally finned microchannel heat sinks and eight baffled DCMD configurations with their respective blank channels. The recovered CPV heat was transferred to the saline feed through a heat exchanger while accounting for a 5% heat loss. The selected CPV configuration, comprising a 10 × 10 fin arrangement with a height of 60% of the channel, reduced the average and maximum cell temperatures at 1500 suns from over 101 and 112.4 °C to 63.8 and 70.56 °C, respectively, while increasing electrical efficiency from 37.5% to 39.2%. The selected DCMD design employed uniform height baffles in both channels, enhancing near-membrane mixing while limiting hydraulic losses. It increased permeate flux by 6% compared with the blank module and required 88% less hydraulic power than the uniform tall baffle configuration. Under the coupled operating conditions, increasing the coolant flow rate improved CPV cooling and electrical performance but reduced the recovered-heat temperature and DCMD productivity. Therefore, the coolant flow rate should be selected by balancing the allowable cell temperature with electrical efficiency and freshwater production.