Modelling of the thermal behaviour of solar high concentrating photovoltaic receiver

Ali O. M. Maka, Tadhg S. O'Donovan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)
152 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The effect of the cell temperature increase associated with the optic concentration is a matter requiring consideration. A monolithic cascade stack of three layers consisting of GaInP/GaInAs/Ge results in high conversion efficiency. This research presents a performance analysis of a triple-junction solar cell based on modelling, in order to describe and understand its operating behaviour. A numerical model was created to predict the performance characteristic of the solar cell at CR = 1000x, which can then be used to optimise and enhance the cell design. The cell temperature was predicted by the iteration technique, and the convergent occurs at steady state. The initial cell temperature was set at 25 °C, and the new modified cell temperature Tc2 convergence after iteration at convection heat transfer coefficient >2 kW/m2K to keep the cell temperature below 100 °C. However, in order to maintain cell integrity, it is necessary to design the operating cell temperature below 80 °C. The Tc2 convergence after iterations at convection heat transfer coefficient >2.4 kW/m2K.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)281-288
Number of pages8
JournalThermal Science and Engineering Progress
Volume9
Early online date10 Dec 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2019

Keywords

  • Cell temperature convergence
  • Concentrating PV
  • Finite element method
  • Thermal modelling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

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