RT Journal Article ID 3607307a0c602804 A1 Yazdanpanahi, Javad A1 Sarhaddi, Faramarz T1 IRREVERSIBILITY RATES IN A SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC/THERMAL WATER COLLECTOR: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY JF Heat Transfer Research JO HTR YR 2017 FD 2017-09-21 VO 48 IS 8 SP 741 OP 756 K1 solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) water collector K1 irreversibility rate K1 exergy AB The main goal of this paper is the experimental investigation of irreversibility rates in a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) water collector. An experimental setup of PV/T water collector is designed and fabricated at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. Various climatic and operating parameters of the PV/T water collector are measured (i.e., solar radiation intensity, ambient temperature, wind speed, solar cells temperature, water temperature, voltage and current of PV module, etc.). Analytical expressions are used to calculate the thermal and electrical parameters of the PV/T collector. A detailed exergy analysis is carried out and various components of the irreversibility rates in the PV/T water collector are obtained. There is a good agreement between the simulation results and experimental data. The highest relative error in the process of validation is less than 10%. Finally, parametric studies were carried out and the effect of climatic and operating conditions on the irreversibility number were investigated. It is observed that the highest irreversibility number belongs to the irreversibility number related to the sun-collector temperature difference and its value is about 66%, whereas the irreversibility number related to heat loss and the irreversibility number related to water flow friction can be neglected. Furthermore, the minimum irreversibility number was obtained at an optimized value of water mass flow rate of 0.002 kg/s. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/46784ef93dddff27,0054fe7518bd2876,3607307a0c602804.html