The raise in temperature is a non-negligible issue for concentrating photovoltaics (CPV), where the sunlight is concentrated up to thousands of times and a large amount of heat is collected on the solar cells. Micro-fins have been identified as one of the most promising solution for CPV cooling: despite its potentials, the number of publications on this subject is still limited. The present paper resumes the state-of-the-art of the research on micro-fins, in order to identify the most convenient fin geometry for CPV applications. The results of the investigation conducted in this work show that, compared to a conventional heat sink, micro-fins can improve the thermal performance and, at the same time, lower the weight of a system. For this reason, they are particularly beneficial for tracked systems, such as CPV, where a reduced weight means a reduced load for the tracker. The heat transfer coefficients measured through an experimental setup are used to predict the performance of a micro-finned CPV system in natural convection: an optimized fin array is found able to enhance the mass specific power up to 50% compared to an unfinned surface.

Plate micro-fins in natural convection: An opportunity for passive concentrating photovoltaic cooling / Micheli, L.; Reddy, K. S.; Mallick, T. K.. - In: ENERGY PROCEDIA. - ISSN 1876-6102. - 82:(2015), pp. 301-308. (Intervento presentato al convegno 70th Conference of the Italian Thermal Machines Engineering Association, ATI 2015 tenutosi a Rome, Italy) [10.1016/j.egypro.2015.12.037].

Plate micro-fins in natural convection: An opportunity for passive concentrating photovoltaic cooling

Micheli L.
;
2015

Abstract

The raise in temperature is a non-negligible issue for concentrating photovoltaics (CPV), where the sunlight is concentrated up to thousands of times and a large amount of heat is collected on the solar cells. Micro-fins have been identified as one of the most promising solution for CPV cooling: despite its potentials, the number of publications on this subject is still limited. The present paper resumes the state-of-the-art of the research on micro-fins, in order to identify the most convenient fin geometry for CPV applications. The results of the investigation conducted in this work show that, compared to a conventional heat sink, micro-fins can improve the thermal performance and, at the same time, lower the weight of a system. For this reason, they are particularly beneficial for tracked systems, such as CPV, where a reduced weight means a reduced load for the tracker. The heat transfer coefficients measured through an experimental setup are used to predict the performance of a micro-finned CPV system in natural convection: an optimized fin array is found able to enhance the mass specific power up to 50% compared to an unfinned surface.
2015
70th Conference of the Italian Thermal Machines Engineering Association, ATI 2015
concentrating photovoltaics; micro-fins; natural convection; passive cooling
04 Pubblicazione in atti di convegno::04c Atto di convegno in rivista
Plate micro-fins in natural convection: An opportunity for passive concentrating photovoltaic cooling / Micheli, L.; Reddy, K. S.; Mallick, T. K.. - In: ENERGY PROCEDIA. - ISSN 1876-6102. - 82:(2015), pp. 301-308. (Intervento presentato al convegno 70th Conference of the Italian Thermal Machines Engineering Association, ATI 2015 tenutosi a Rome, Italy) [10.1016/j.egypro.2015.12.037].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1625580
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