Z E M C H 2 0 1 2 I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e
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performance of an unglazed PVT module to which rectangular tube absorbers were
applied has been published (Jeong 2011:87~92). The study suggested that a PVT
module that uses rectangular tube absorbers offer an advantage of wider contact area
for sheets and tubes. However, research on PVT modules using rectangular absorbers
has been rather insufficient.
The aim of this study is to analyze the electrical and thermal performance of unglazed
water type PVT collectors with rectangular tubes attached to absorber plate. The
experimental performance of two different types of PVT collector according to the
number of water tubes was compared. In addition, the electrical performance of a
conventional PV module that was used in the tested the PVT collectors was compared to
that of the PVT module.
PVT Collector Design and Manufacture
Two experimental models were made for this study – both were unglazed type,
rectangular shaped absorber PVT modules, each with 12 tubes and 18 tubes. The PVT
modules consist of PV modules in combination with water heat extraction units made of
aluminum in both cases. Also, the PVT modules consist of a PV-covered absorber with
no additional glass cover. They are both thermally protected with 50mm of glass-wool
insulation.
For the rectangular shaped absorber PVT module, the aluminum absorber was attached
to the back side of the PV module using a thermal conduction adhesive. The PV module
that was used in the tested PVT modules had an electrical efficiency of 16.71% under
standard test conditions, and is a mono crystalline silicon PV module of 240W
p
. The
specifications of the PV module are as shown in Table 1. The two experimental models
were made with the same components and the only difference was the number of tubes
(flow paths) used in the absorbers. Figs. 2 and 3 show the PVT conceptual drawing of
two types absorber with 12 and 18 tube.
Table 1: PV module Specifications
Cell Type
Mono crystalline silicon
Maximum Power
240W
Maximum Voltage
29.93V
Maximum Current
8.15A
Shot Current
8.56A
Open Voltage
37.55V
Size
1656*997*50mm
