Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, cilt.176, sa.P2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Photovoltaic (PV) panels suffer from a significant decrease in electrical efficiency and lifespan due to excessive heat accumulation during operation. To mitigate this, advanced thermal management using enhanced heat transfer fluids (HTFs) is required. This study addresses this problem by developing and evaluating a novel HTF utilizing water as the carrier fluid, enhanced with encapsulated phase change materials (ePCM). The aim is to investigate the uniform cooling performance of this ePCM slurry (ePCM-S) within a serpentine-channeled heat absorber plate attached to a monocrystalline PV module. Lauric acid (LA), with a melting temperature matching the nominal cell operating range, was encapsulated within a melamine formaldehyde (MF) shell using in-situ polymerization. Slurries were prepared at 1%, 1.5%, and 2% volume concentrations. Experimental performance was evaluated under 800 and 1000 W/m2 irradiance levels at fluid inlet velocities of 0.04 m/s and 0.08 m/s. Results demonstrate that the MF/LA capsules were successfully synthesized. The lowest average surface temperature (316.94 K) and the most uniform temperature distribution were achieved using the 2% ePCM-S at 0.08 m/s under 800 W/m2. Conversely, the highest overall thermal efficiency was recorded at 0.08 m/s under 1000 W/m2 with the 2% ePCM-S. The implications of this study confirm that ePCM-S significantly improves the thermal capacity of conventional HTFs, proving particularly advantageous at low flow rates and high irradiance conditions, thereby offering a highly effective, uniform cooling solution for PV/T systems. It has been shown that ePCMs improve the thermal properties of HTF and ePCM-S can be used as an enhanced HTF. It has been observed that ePCM-S is more advantageous at low flow rates, and at the same flow rates, it is more effective in high irradiance in terms of thermal efficiency.