A passive heat pipe cooled photovoltaic receiver
Abstract
The design and analysis, fabrication, and testing of a prototype heat pipe exchanger are described, and test results are presented and discussed. The exchanger is a two-phase thermosyphon with a fluid that evaporates when heated by photovoltaic cells and carries the heat to the finned heat exchange surface where it condenses and returns to the cell area by gravity flow. The stress and cost analysis is summarized and the fabrication is briefly described. Both wind tunnel and outdoor testing was done, as well as a deflection test. It was found that the exchanger will operate below the maximum specified evaporator temperature of 140 C if the wind speed is greater than 1 m/sec. The operating temperature of the device is a strong function of wind speed, dropping with increasing wind speed and rising with decreasing speed. The operating temperature was not a strong function of either ambient air temperature, wind direction, or tilt orientation.
- Publication:
-
15th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
- Pub Date:
- 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981pvsp.conf..165F
- Keywords:
-
- Cooling Systems;
- Design Analysis;
- Linear Receivers;
- Photovoltaic Cells;
- Systems Engineering;
- Tube Heat Exchangers;
- Cost Analysis;
- Fabrication;
- Performance Tests;
- Photovoltaic Conversion;
- Prototypes;
- Stress Analysis;
- Temperature Distribution;
- Thermal Resistance;
- Transient Response;
- Wind Tunnel Tests;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer