The photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collector is an eco-friendly technology that simultaneously converts solar energy into electrical and thermal energy. However, a high solar cell temperature seriously affects the electrical efficiency of the PVT collector, which is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. Some traditional cooling technologies for PVT collectors were previously investigated, but they were inefficient in heat collecting performance. In addition, a nonuniform solar cell temperature distribution accelerates the aging of PVT modules, and this topic has only rarely been discussed. In the present study, a new leaf-like heat exchanger based on bionics was proposed to improve heat control of the PVT collector. A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed in COMSOL and validated by comparing modeling results with experimental data already available in the literature. The effect of different operating conditions on the performance of the new PVT collector was investigated. The results of this study show that the bifurcation angle of the leaf-like heat exchanger with a symmetrical configuration between 20° and 35° was characterized by a lower and more uniform temperature distribution on solar cells in comparison with conventional heat exchangers. Moreover, the average temperature of the solar cell cooled by the new leaf-like heat exchanger decreased by 5.31 °C, and the pressure drop associated with the leaf-like heat exchanger was only half the value of the pressure drop associated with a conventional heat exchanger at a mass flow rate of 0.0314 kg/s. Finally, the total efficiency of the new PVT collector was 4.36% higher than that of the conventional PVT collector.

中文翻译：

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新型叶片式换热器对PVT组件的热控制研究

光伏/热能（PVT）收集器是一种环保技术，可同时将太阳能转换为电能和热能。然而，高的太阳能电池温度严重影响了PVT收集器的电效率，这是一个亟待解决的紧迫问题。先前已经研究了一些用于PVT收集器的传统冷却技术，但是它们在集热性能方面效率不高。另外，不均匀的太阳能电池温度分布会加速PVT组件的老化，而这个话题很少被讨论。在本研究中，提出了一种新的基于仿生的叶状热交换器，以改善PVT收集器的热控制。在COMSOL中开发了三维数学模型，并通过将建模结果与文献中已有的实验数据进行了比较来进行验证。研究了不同操作条件对新型PVT收集器性能的影响。这项研究的结果表明，与传统的热交换器相比，具有20°至35°对称配置的叶状热交换器的分叉角具有较低且更均匀的温度分布。此外，由新型叶状热交换器冷却的太阳能电池的平均温度降低了5.31°C，并且与叶状热交换器相关的压降仅为常规传热相关压力降的一半。质量流量为0的交换器。0314公斤/秒 最后，新型PVT收集器的总效率比传统PVT收集器高4.36％。