Numerical investigation of high-concentration photovoltaic module heat dissipation

The present study performs a series of simulations based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations, the RNG k–ε turbulence model, and the P1 radiation model to investigate the passive cooling of high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar cell modules. The simulations focus specifically on the effects of the direct normal irradiance, the ambient temperature, the module elevation angle and the wind speed on the thermal management performance of the HCPV module. The results have shown that the maximum cell temperature within the HCPV module reduces as the wind speed increases. Moreover, the heat dissipation performance of the HCPV module is significantly dependent upon the wind speed for wind speeds below 1 m/s. In addition, the maximum cell temperature is a linear function of the ambient temperature and direct normal irradiance. Finally, the simulations have shown that the temperature distribution and flow-field phenomena in the HCPV module possess distinct three-dimensional asymmetrical characteristics. In other words, simulation models based on symmetrical boundaries, periodic boundaries, or two-dimensional geometries are insufficient to investigate the thermal management performance of real-world HCPV modules.

► The completely CFD model (3-D, k–ε turbulence, P1 radiation model) are established. ► For the first time, we find and examine the asymmetric flow field within the HCPV. ► Variation of max. cell temperature is a nonlinear function of the ambient wind speed.