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Performance analysis of photovoltaic-thermal air collectors combined with a water to air heat exchanger for renewed air conditioning in building

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Abstract

In this work, a new solar system that includes photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) air collectors coupled to a water-to-air heat exchanger is investigated. The considered system generates sufficient energy for cooling and heating of the ambient air injected in a 300 m2 tertiary building and saves its total energy consumption. Therefore, it allows the minimization of greenhouse gas emissions of the building. A numerical model is developed to ensure comfortable temperatures during summer and winter, including days with the highest energy needs. The results show that the proposed system can generate the required heating and cooling needs using an airflow rate equal to 0.25 kg/s and a PVT area of 17 m2. It was found that the coupling of the PVT air collectors with a water to air heat exchanger minimizes the total required area for heating by ~ 33%. Moreover, the PV module’s efficiency was enhanced by 2.0% in winter and 5.1% in summer. The thermal energy saved for heating, thermal energy saved for cooling and the electrical energy saved are, respectively, equal to 15.30 kWh/day, 24.79 kWh/day, and 3.14 kWh/day. This represents an average emission reduction of 11.4 kg CO2 per day.

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Abbreviations

A:

Heat transfer surface area (m2)

Atot_PVT :

Total area of module (m2)

Ca :

Specific heat of air (J/kg K)

D:

External tube diameter (m)

dx:

Elemental length (m)

E:

Electrical energy (Wh)

FS :

Fin spacing (m)

hi:

Heat transfer coefficient from solar cell to flowing air (W/m2 K)

hp1 :

Penalty factor due to tedlar of PV module

hp2 :

Penalty factor due to glass of PV module

h0 :

Heat transfer coefficient from solar cell to ambient through glass cove (W/m2 K)

hT :

Convective heat transfer coefficient from the tedlar back surface to the fluid (W/m2 K)

I(t):

Incident solar intensity (W/m2)

L:

Collector length (m)

ma :

Air mass flow rate (kg/s)

mw :

Water mass flow rate (kg/s)

N:

Number of PVT air collectors

NT :

Number of tubes per row

NL :

Number of rows

Ntub :

Total tubes number

nf :

Number of fins

ST :

Transverse pitch (m)

SL :

Longitudinal pitch (m)

SD :

Diagonal pitch (m)

t:

Time (s)

T:

Temperature (°C)

V:

Air velocity (m/s)

U:

Overall heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)

Ub :

Overall heat transfer coefficient from flowing fluid to ambient (W/m2 K)

Um :

Maximum air velocity in the minimum flow area (m/s)

UT :

convective heat transfer coefficient through the tedlar (W/m2 K)

UTca :

Overall heat transfer coefficient between solar cell to ambient through glass cover (W/m2 K)

w:

Width of module (m)

α:

Absorptivity

αOb :

Fin Oblique angle (°)

(ατ)eff :

Product of effective α and τ

β:

Packing factor

β0 :

Temperature coefficient of efficiency (1/K)

δ:

Fin thickness (m)

λ:

Air thermal conductivity (W/m. K)

ρ:

Air density (kg/m3)

τ:

Transmittivity

ηc :

Temperature dependent efficiency (%)

ρ:

Density (kg/m3)

μ:

Dynamic viscosity (N.s/m2)

a:

Air

amb:

Ambient

bs:

Back surface

c:

Cell

f:

Fluid

g:

Glass

in:

Inlet

r:

Required

STC:

Standard test conditions

s:

Surface

th:

Thermal

o:

outlet

u:

Useful

w:

Water

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Renewable Energies and Smart Systems, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B.P. 2202 Route d’Imouzzer, Fez, Morocco

    Oussama Hachchadi, Mahmoud Bououd & Abdellah Mechaqrane

Authors
  1. Oussama Hachchadi
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  2. Mahmoud Bououd
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  3. Abdellah Mechaqrane
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Correspondence to Oussama Hachchadi.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Hachchadi, O., Bououd, M. & Mechaqrane, A. Performance analysis of photovoltaic-thermal air collectors combined with a water to air heat exchanger for renewed air conditioning in building. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 18953–18962 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08052-4

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