Design Of A Stratified Phase Change Material Enhanced Solar Storage System

Abstract

This experimental study investigates the use of metal foam phase change material (MFPCM) composite as a passive cooling system in a solar system. Proposed an in-door solar system includes two plates of copper metal foam (MF) set at the back of the photovoltaic (PV) panel. 4 groups of experiments are done, including MFPCM composite, metal foam (MF) with water, pure paraffin and water experimental group. The experiment focused on evaluating the temperature and the power output of the PV panel. The results of the MFPCM experimental group showed a significant decrease of the surface temperature of the PV panel when the PCM was melted and the temperature is more stable compared to experimental group with water, and the power output of the PV panel has at least 0.0005W more than other groups. Furthermore, the use of MF successfully decreased the overall temperature of the PV panel, which confirmed the performance of the PV system can be improved by enhancing the thermal conductivity of the PCM. Finally, the experimental results show the using of MFPCM composite is effective in stabilizing PV temperature for the higher level of power output.