Abstract:
Considering the importance of environmental protection and renewable energy resources,
particularly solar energy, the present study investigates the temperature control of a solar panel using
a nanofluid (NFD) flow with eco-friendly nanoparticles (NPs) and a phase change material (PCM).
The PCM was used under the solar panel, and the NFD flowed through pipes within the PCM. A
number of straight fins (three fins) were exploited on the pipes, and the output flow temperature,
heat transfer (HTR) coefficient, and melted PCM volume fraction were measured for different pipe
diameters (D_Pipe) from 4 mm to 8 mm at various time points (from 0 to 100 min). Additionally,
with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the best conditions for obtaining the
lowest panel temperature and the highest output NFD temperature at the lowest pressure drop have
been determined. While the porosity approach was used to model the PCM melt front, a two-phase
mixture was used to simulate NFD flow. It was discovered that the solar panel temperature and
output temperature both increased considerably between t = 0 and t = 10 min before beginning to
rise at varying rates, depending on the D_Pipe. The HTR coefficient increased over time, showing
similar behavior to the panel temperature. The entire PCM melted within a short time for D_Pipes
of 4 and 6 mm, while a large fraction of the PCM remained un-melted for a long time for a D_Pipe
of 8 mm. An increase in D_Pipe, particularly from 4 to 6 mm, reduced the maximum and average
panel temperatures, leading to a lower output flow temperature. Furthermore, the increased D_Pipe
reduced the HTR coefficient, with the PCM remaining un-melted for a longer time under the panel.
