Thermal performance evaluation of an integrated photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system using Taguchi method

Thermal performance evaluation of an integrated photovoltaic thermal-phase change material system using Taguchi method

Authors:

Haoshan Ren, Wenye Lin, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper and Wenke Fan

Organisation of Presenter:

University of Wollongong, Australia

Abstract:

This paper presents the performance evaluation of an integrated photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector-phased change material (PCM) thermal energy storage (TES) system. The PVT collectors can generate both electricity and low-grade thermal energy during the daytime, and the thermal energy generated can be temporarily stored in the PCM TES unit and used for space heating during the night-time. Taguchi method and analysis of variance are used for the simulation design and data analysis, respectively. The thermal performance of the proposed system was evaluated in terms of the useful energy stored in the TES system. The results showed that the outlet air temperature of the TES unit remained at least 2oC higher than the inlet air temperature during the discharge process in the selected test day. The PCM type and the PCM charge air flow rate are the most important factors influencing the useful energy stored in the TES system.