Estimation of the performance limits of a concentrator solar cell coupled with a micro heat sink based on a finite element simulation. (25th July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Alzahrani, Mussad; Baig, Hasan; Shanks, Katie; Mallick, Tapas
• Is Part Of: Applied thermal engineering. Volume 176(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-07-25
• Subjects: Concentrating Photovoltaic -- Concentration Ratio -- Passive cooling -- Flat-plate heat-sink -- Micro fin heat-sink -- Finite element; Heat engineering -- Periodicals; Heating -- Equipment and supplies -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 621.40205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.115315
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-4311

Abstract

Highlights: FEM of a heat sink is developed to analyse the performance of HCPV system. Use of different substrates and the impact of using micro fins is studied. Safe operation limits for different climates and solar concentrations is studied. The proposed model can be applied for a variety of HCPV systems. Abstract: Concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology makes use of cheap optical elements to amplify the irradiance and focus it on small-sized solar cells enabling the extraction of higher amounts of electricity. However, increasing the solar concentration raises the temperature of the PV cell which can deter its performance and can also cause its failure. To combat this issue both active and passive cooling mechanisms are utilized for different types of CPV systems. In this study, we determine the limits of passive cooling systems and establish when an active cooling system is needed based on the recommended operating temperature of the solar cell. We investigate the temperature characteristics of the solar cells bonded to three different substrate materials under different solar concentrations. Results showed that cell temperature is linearly dependent on the concentration ratio and ambient temperature independent of the substrate material. Further, the integration of a micro-finned heatsink results in higher heat dissipation by 25.32%, 23.13%, and 22.24% in comparison with a flat plate heatsink for Direct Bonded Copper (DBC), Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS), and Silicon Wafer (Si wafer) substrates respectively. The low thermal resistance of the IMS substrate compared to the DBC and the Si wafer substrates result in the best thermal performance in terms of maintaining the cell temperature < 80 °C and allowing a wider range of high concentration ratio.