Electrical efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) modules depends on their working temperature. Effective cooling
is required in order to achieve higher performance. Pulsating heat pipes (PHPs) are compact heat
transfer devices with high effective thermal performance due to the two-phase heat transfer mechanism.
Since the lower temperature of PV modules leads to higher electricity generation and better efficiency,
PHPs can be applied for PV cooling. In this work, the PV cooling by applying a single turn PHP is numerically
investigated. In addition, a copper fin with the same dimensions as the PHP for cooling the PV panel
is simulated to compare the performance of the PHP with a solid metal like copper. Results indicated that
PHPs are an appropriate option for PV cooling and has the capability to increase PV modules efficiency. It
was found that a PV panel using the PHP may have approximately 18% enhancement in electrical power
generated compared with that without any cooling system.
کلید واژگان :
PV cooling; Pulsating heat pipe; Solar energy; Heat transfer
