Feasibility study of a Novel Dual Tank PV/T Indirect Parallel Solar Assisted

Heat Pump system

Taoufik BRAHIMab* and Abdelmajid JEMNIb

a
University of Sousse, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Sousse
(ISSAT-Sousse-Tunisia)

b
University of Monastir, National Engineering School of Monastir, Laboratory Studies of
Thermal and Energy Systems- LESTE- Tunisia

Corresponding Authors:

Email : taoufik.brahim@yahoo.fr, taoufik.brahim@issatso.rnu.tn,

Abdelmajid.jemni@enim.rnu.tn

Abstract

A novel dual tank PV/T indirect parallel solar assisted heat pump system (DTPV/T-ISAHP)
was investigated in this paper, which filled a gap in the literature. Furthermore, a long-term
performance study analysis was performed under Tunisian climate to offset domestic electric
and hot water loads. Optimal operations of such a system are achieved based on a simplified
mathematical model. Results showed that the average thermal and electric energy efficiency is
about 39.65% and 11.38%, respectively. Results revealed that the increase in solar radiation
results in an improvement of the system's thermal-based COP efficiency coefficient reaching
4.49 at 893 W/m2. PV/T average electrical energy output is found to 0.68 kWh/m2/day with an
annual average of 177.42 kWh/m2, which leads to an annual electricity surplus of about 5.83%.
A reversible heat pump operation seemed more advantageous especially in the summer months,
reducing yearly electric demand by about 84.57%. An economic analysis is undertaken and a
payback period of about 12.7 years is found. The current study provided a framework for
assessing such a system’s behavior and providing useful flexibility to achieve the best possible
system performance.

Keywords: Photovoltaic/Thermal, heat pump, dual tank, assessment, long term

1
Nomenclature

area,
specific heat capacity, / .
diameter,
energy,
electrical power,
, solar constant, gravity constant
ℎ heat transfer coefficient, / .
ℎ enthalpy, /
radiation, /
thermal conductivity, / .
length,
mass flow rate, /
rotational speed,
Nusselt number
pressure,
packing factor
! energy quantity,
" Rayleigh Number
# Reynolds Number
$ temperature,
$% Linke's Turbidity Factor
& time,
' Overall heat transfer coefficient, ⁄ .
) velocity, /
power, *
* hour angle, +# ,##
Symbols
- absorption coefficient
. thermal expansion coefficient
/ the ratio of the specific heats
0 solar declination angle

2
 1 emissivity
2 efficiency
3 efficiency per volume
4 dynamic viscosity, ".
5 kinematic viscosity, /
6 Specific volume, 7
/
8 density, / 7

9 Stefan–Boltzmann constant, ⁄ . :

; transmittance
< tilts angle, deg

= solar altitude angle

> thickness,
Subscripts
", "+ ambient, adhesive (EVA)
?, ?+ beam, building hot water demand
@AB, collector, Cost
@AC condenser
@A compressor
+ diffuse, demand
#, electric, electricity
#D" evaporator
glass-cover
ℎ hydraulic
E hour
EC insulation
EC& interior
BA loss
"F maximum
C number, constant
G reference, investment
, radiant
,AA room
,#H reference
solar
& storage
I sky

3
 & tube
&ℎ thermal
absorber plate
D PV cell
* water
Acronyms
J Coefficient Of Performance
Domestic Hot Water
$ Dual Tank
$ Equation of Time
HP Heat Pump
Indirect
K Solar assisted heat pump
$ $ Tedlar–polyester–Tedlar
*EC+ wind

Introduction

In recent years, residential PV/T systems and their applications in different climatic conditions
have been of research interest, with many reviews and state-of-the-art papers on this topic [1-
3]. The North Africa PV/T market is still under development and provides great opportunities
for growth and development. It offers great prospects and opportunities to reduce the quantity
of traditional energy required, with substantial potential for emission reduction. The generation
of PV electricity with thermal collectors now seemed promising to increase the efficiency of
renewable energy sources by providing redundant energy output. A competitive energy solution
(heat and power) provision in buildings is the development of combined solar
photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems that produce both electricity and heat simultaneously
from the same aperture area.
Given this, one of the few significant hybrid technologies that can be incorporated to provide
optimum and energy-efficient system performance is the hybrid PV/T heat pump system.
Hence, Heat pump (HP) systems can capture low-grade atmospheric thermal energy and waste
heat for use in water/space heating applications and are officially considered to be renewable
energy sources [4]. Using a heat pump as part of the design will further boost the hybrid PV/T
system and will significantly reduce the reliance on electric consumption of a house.
4
Solar assisted heat pumps (SAHP) can usually be classified as parallel, series, direct, or indirect.
In terms of configurations, 61% of the devices were parallel, 6% were series only, and 33% had
a mixture of parallel and series modes of operation [5].
Parallel systems had efficiencies marginally higher than the serial and dual-source systems.
Freeman et al. [6] evaluated three SAHP systems (parallel, series, and dual) combinations using
TRNSYS for two different climates, Wisconsin and New Mexico. They noted that work input
into the heat pump was needed in series and dual-source systems to supply the collected solar
energy to space while direct heating from the solar coil did not require additional heat pump
work for the parallel system. The heat pump would in effect serve as an additional source of
energy to the combined system. The simulation results showed that the parallel system acquired
the highest solar fraction (defined as the fraction of energy produced by solar technology to
assist the total energy required by a system), although it had the smallest COP when compared
to the other systems. The COP of the three systems was shown to be 2.0, 2.5, and 2.8 for parallel,
series, and dual systems, respectively. Besides, the grid electricity consumption for the
operation of the heat pump itself can be reduced by using the electricity provided by the PV
panels [7].

Several studies on conventional SAHP have been conducted. Most of them show that the solar
collector fits perfectly with other energy systems and that the parallel indirect type of a single
tank has achieved better energy efficiency [8-10]. A large part of these systems is combined
with one storage tank and very few configurations are with dual tanks. An extension of the
single tank ISAHP (indirect solar assisted heat pump) concept is a dual-tank configuration.
Such configuration tanks were able to operate with a larger capacity HP since the float tank
(called also pre-heated storage tank) acted as a thermal buffer, protecting the system from
freeze-up. The float tank can also provide a relatively low temperature at the solar collector's
manifold inlet, resulting in an improvement in its performance. The solar side system was
limited to a smaller HP capacity since it operates within the solar loop and has no significant
thermal buffer.
Banister [11] proposed a dual tank solar-assisted heat pump (HP-SDHW) system to reduce
energy consumption and provide a sustainable source of thermal energy. The novel SAHP
configuration developed uses a second thermal storage tank to create more modes of operation
to reduce the amount of energy purchased. Results show that the dual tank system showed
increased collector efficiency, collector run times, and tank losses. It was noted that the dual

5
tank system had longer operating times in the winter and had more energy efficiency (30%
increase) than the standard electric water heater and the standard solar thermal system.
The feasibility study of the dual tank indirect IDX-SAHP system for domestic water heating
was modeled in TRNSYS software and compared with conventional and electrical DHW
(Domestic Hot Water) systems by Sterling et al. [12] under the prevailing climatic conditions
in Ottawa, Ontario. The results showed that although the IDX-SAHP system is the most
complex and has more components, it used the least amount of electrical energy compared to
the other two systems. The IDX-SAHP system also gained the most solar energy with a solar
fraction of 0.67, compared to the 0.58 and 0 for the traditional SAHP and electrical heating
systems, respectively.

Chu et al. [13] investigated the dual tank system IDX-SAHP for both space and domestic water
heating, consisting of a float tank connected to solar thermal panels and a heat pump that
circulated heat between the float tank and the DHW storage tank. The result of the study showed
that when a high flow rate of 10 L/min circulated through the heat pump, the system COP was
initially shown to reach 5 (the highest COP during the test) and then decreased to an average
COP of 3.76 shortly thereafter. The COP was calculated to be 3.77 at a flow rate of 3 L/min.
Based on this work, it was concluded that 3 L/min was a more appropriate flow rate due to the
low stratification level in the tank compared to a flow rate of 10 L/min where mixing occurred
due to the higher incoming water velocity.

From the above literature, it can be concluded that indirect dual tank solar-assisted heat pumps
can perform better than single tank systems. As previously stated, there has been tremendous
development and research on hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar collectors (PV/T) with new
designs [14]. As a result, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar assisted heat pump (PV/T-SAHP)
research and development has been undertaken.

A detailed study of the PV/T -SAHP system was performed in China, considering the impact
of the pump speed. Experimental setups were carried out particularly on a prototype of an
unglazed PV/T evaporator device [15, 16]. Results show that the maximum COP of 10.4 with
an average value of 5.4 with a water supply temperature of 20°C is achieved in winter-day [17,
18]. Results from simulation revealed that PV/T-HP systems perform better than conventional
SAHP system. By fixing compressor speed and refrigerant flow and using R-134a as a heat

6
pump refrigerant, the PV/T-SAHP system can achieve an annual average COP of 5.93 with an
overall system efficiency range of 64% to 87% and thermal efficiency range of 53% to 0.64%
[19]. Pei et al. [20] conducted a comparative study suggesting that a single-glass PV/T-SAHP
coating system could improve the efficiency of photothermic exergy. They noted that a glazed
PV/T collector cannot well act as a PV/T evaporator during the warm seasons. However, in
cold weather, the photothermic performance and the COP of the system could be enhanced with
glassed PV/T systems. Pei et al. [21] also verified these findings by suggesting that in the
presence of glass cover for winter service, the overall PV/T exergy performance and machine
COP can be improved.
Bai et al. [22] conducted a simulation study on the PV/T /water-assisted heat pump for the
development of hot water under various climatic conditions. They also conducted economic
assessments. The results show that the performance of the Hong Kong network is higher than
the three French cities. The cost-payback period, however, is the longest in Hong Kong due to
the no local government tax incentive.

Bakker et al. [23] introduced a PV/T/water roofing system coupled with a ground-heat pump.
Evaluation using TRNSYS software showed that the system could meet nearly one family's
electrical and heating requirements. Ito et al. [24, 25] conducted several experimental studies
of PV/T-SAHP systems. Ji et al. [26] also conducted experimental analysis on PV/T-SAHP and
compared the findings with a mathematical model. Some improvements have been recorded in
PV/T-SAHP evaporator systems based on theoretical simulation [27]. The accuracy of the solar
collector's operating temperature estimate is considered the most significant parameter in both
PV electricity generation and the reversible exchange of energy [28]. With the direct interaction
of both PV electricity generation and the PV/T collector's thermodynamics, the coordinated
exchange of energy between the PV/T evaporator and the HPWH (heat pump water heat) device
could be measured well and with greater precision.

According to literature reviews, relatively little work has been done on PV/T-SAHP, with most
of them based on a single storage tank despite research concluding that dual tank SAHP systems
and single tank PV/T-SAHP systems outperform their system counterparts.
To the author's knowledge, no previous research on dual tank indirect PV/T-SAHP systems has
been performed. Moreover, no long-term performance analyses of such a system have been
conducted to date.

7
An investigation of a new dual tank PV/T indirect parallel solar-assisted heat pump system
(DTPV/T-ISAHP) was conducted in this study, which filled a gap in the literature. Furthermore,
a long-term performance study including technical feasibility and economic assessment has
been conducted.
To assess the long-term performance of the solar thermal system, mathematical models that
accurately capture the effects of heat transfer and interactions between individual components
are required. For solar domestic hot water systems, the components can include solar collectors,
storage tanks, heat pumps, pumps, and associated piping. Besides, weather data and demand
profiles are also required. Simplified models for each component are needed to reduce the
computational time required to run long-term simulations. The simplified models, however,
must also be sufficiently accurate to provide meaningful system-level results. Accurate
prediction of the temperature profiles in the storage tanks of these systems is important since
the temperature within the tank has a large impact on the efficiency of the entire system.
To achieve this goal, a simplified mathematical model has been developed with MATLAB
coding environment considering the effects of solar radiation, outdoor temperature, wind
velocity, the temperature in the thermal storage tanks, flow rate, and features of the
photovoltaic-thermal solar panel, on electrical and thermal energy production. Technical and
economic feasibility assessments were also conducted.

Mathematical Model

The heat transfer equations were built for different layers of the PV/T according to the general
energy equation applied for that layer (Fig.1).

The following statements are made with a view to simplification. The flow is considered fully
laminar, incompressible, uniform flow rate, the thermal-physical properties of the absorber tube
are constant, and the atmosphere can be viewed as a black body at an equal atmospheric
temperature for long-wavelength radiation.
The numerical process starts with the solar radiation, the atmospheric conditions for measuring
the temperature of the solar PV cell, and the temperature of the PV cell back, as well as the
temperature of the fluid outlet. The formula used to assess global solar radiation is based on a
modified Maatallah et al. [29] model for improved model accuracy results obtained at the
specific location under investigation.

8
 Fig.1: Schematic representation of PVT panel layers (a) and DTPV/T-ISAHP system (b)

The amount of direct radiation, , intercepted by a perpendicular surface is expressed as [29]:

$%
M #F NO T U1W
0.9 R 9.4 EC=

Where , $% and = are the solar constant, Linke's Turbidity Factor, and the solar altitude
angle respectively. The Linke's Turbidity Factor $% is expressed as the following:

$% M 2.4 R 14.6. R 0.4U1 R 2.WBCZ [ \ U2W

Where . M 0.1 and [ (expressed in mm Hg) are the atmospheric trouble and the partial
pressure respectively. The value of . depends on atmospheric conditions of the site in question;
. = 0.05 in rural zone, . = 0.1 in urban zone, . = 0.2 in industrial park or polluted [28].

The solar altitude angle = , which is the angle between the horizontal and the line to the sun,
can be given using the following relation:

sinθa M sinφsinδ R cosφcosδcosw U3W

Where δ is the solar declination angle, φ is the latitude of the site and * the hour angle
expressed as:
9
 * M U& O 12W15° U4W

The solar time & has the following expression:

3
& M $ R O g R $ U4W
15

Where 3 is the difference between longitude and g is the time zone east of GMT.
The equation of time $ is [29]:

$ M Z0.0002 O 0.47497@A UiW R 3.2265@A U2iW\ R

0.0903@A U3iW R 7.3509 ECUiW R 9.392 ECU2iW+3.3361 ECU3iW U6W

B is the mean anomaly of the earth, called also the fractional year,
According to this model, the beam solar radiation component j received by a horizontal
surface is given by the following equation:

j M . sinθa U7W

The diffuse solar radiation component k is calculated by the following formula:

k M 54.8 msinθa UTo O 0.5 O sinθa W U8W

The global solar radiation on a horizontal surface, p , is the sum of the diffuse radiation and
the beam radiation. Therefore, the incident global radiation on a horizontal surface is given by
the
following expression:

p M j R k U9W

Considering the above assumptions, the governing equation of the heat transfer in various
layers of PV/T module is given as follows:

10
 • For the glass cover layer:

+$q
8q >q q M -q p R ℎq,
t
rs Z$ rs O $q \ R ℎu,q Z$u O $q \
+&
R Zℎq,[v
t
R ℎq,[v \Z$[v O $q \ U10W

The radiation heat transfer coefficient between glazing and the sky ℎq,
t
rs can be calculated
assuming that the sky is a blackbody [30]:

ℎq,
t
rs M 1q 9Z$q R $ rs \Z$q R $ rs \ U11W

With $ rs M 0.0522$uw.x U12W

The convective heat transfer coefficient, ℎu introducing wind velocity, is expressed as [31]:

ℎu,q M 5.7 R 3.8)z{|k )z{|k ≤ 5 /

y U13W
ℎu,q M 6.47 R )z{|k
~.•€
)z{|k > 5 /
The heat transfer radiation between the glazing and the photovoltaic module is given as
follows:

9Z$q R $[v \Z$q R $[v \

ℎq,[v
t
M U14W
1 1
R
1[v 1q O 1

The convective heat transfer coefficient between the glass cover and PV module ℎq,[v is
given by considering the expression of Nusselt number:

u u
ℎq,[v M U15W
>u
Where u and >u are the thermal conductivity of the air gap and the distance between the
glass and PV module respectively.

The relationship between the Nusselt number and Rayleigh number " for tilt angles
< ranging from 0 to 75° [32] is:

11
 ‡
1708U EC1.8Ww.ƒ 1708 ‡ " @A < w/7
M 1 R 1.14 ‚1 O „ …1 O † R ˆN T O 1‰ U16W
" @A < " @A < 5830

qŠ‹ ZŒ•Ž •Œ• \‘‹’

With " M U17W
r‹ “ ‹

Where, .u and 5u represent the thermal expansion coefficient and the kinematic viscosity of
the air, respectively.

• For PV module :

+$[v
8[v >[v [v M -[v ;q p O R ℎq,[v Z$q O $[v \ R ℎ[,[v Z$[ O $[v \ U18W
+&

where -[v , ;q and $[ represent the PV module absorptivity, Transmittance of front glazing,
and the temperature of the black tedlar absorber plate.
is the electrical power output from PV module.

ℎ[,[v is the heat transfer conduction coefficient between PV module and absorber plate and
given as:

uk Œ”Œ
ℎ ,[v•[ M R U19W
>uk >Œ”Œ

Where uk and >uk represent respectively the conductivity and the thickness of the adhesive
layer (EVA). ΥΠand >ΥΠrepresent respectively the conductivity and the thickness of the
black absorber tedlar layer (TPT).

The electrical energy output can be described as [33]:

M 2~ –1 O .[v Z$[v O $t — \˜ ™š p U20W

™š and are the collector PV area and packing factor respectively.

12
while the temperature dependent PV cell efficiency is calculated from the PV cell reference
efficiency 2~ M 0.155 at reference operating temperature $t — = 25°C and the cell temperature
coefficient .[v = 0.0045°C-1 .

• Absorber plate

+$[ [,p
8[ >[ [ M ℎ[,[v Z$[v O $[ \ R ℎ[,p Z$p O $[ \ R ℎp,{| Z${| O $[ \ U21W
+& [

Where [ and [,p are the absorber plate surface area and the contact area plate-tube
respectively.
${| and $p are the surface temperature of the insulation and tube respectively.
ℎ[,p and ℎp,{| are the heat transfer conduction coefficients between the absorber plate and
tube and between the absorber plate and insulation layer respectively.
r r
ℎ[,p M ‘› and ℎp,{| M ‘œ•ž
› œ•ž

• Fluid (water)
+$z
8z z p p M p ℎp,z U$p O $z W O z z ∆$z U22W
+&

p and p are the inner tube area and tube length respectively.
z is the water mass flow rate within the PV/T panel.

ℎp,z is the forced convective heat transfer coefficient within the tube and is approximated as
[34]:
z
ℎp,z M ? # | U23W

z
# M U24W
4z p

Where # is the Reynolds Number and z represents the fluid thermal conductivity of water,
is the tube hydraulic diameter and ? , C are numerical constants.

13
 • Insulation

+${| {| ,p
8{| >{| {| M ℎp,{| U$p O ${| W R ℎ{| ,u U${| O $u W U25W
+& {|

{| and {| ,p are the insulation area and the surface contact area between insulation and tube
ℎ{| ,u is the convective heat transfer coefficient between the insulation layer and ambient
assumed to equal to ℎu,q

Using a Newton-Raphson analysis, the finite differential method is used to measure the
temperature on each solar collector layer. Solar data available for horizontal surfaces are also
calculated for existing sunshine hour tilted collectors in Tunis City [35,36]. It is more
appropriate to evaluate the instantaneous thermal efficiency to specify the sharing of the
incident solar radiation into the useful energy gain, and to describe the optical loss effect on
the thermal performance of the PV/T solar collector, 2p , of PV/T solar collector using equation
[37], and summarized in Table 1 :
U$uv O $u W U$uv O $u W
2p M ¡ ′ U;-W”¢ £ O" O? U26W
p p

Where $uv is the average temperature of the collector fluid.

Table 1: PV/T solar system and hot water tank thermal performances.
Parameters Value Unit
Flow rate, z 0.02 /s
′ U;-W
Intercept efficiency,¡ ”¢ £ 0.486 %
Heat loss factor, " 4.028 ⁄
Heat loss factor, ? 0.067 ⁄
Tanks overall loss coefficient, ' p 0.9 ⁄

• Water tank/condenser model

Refrigerant (R134-a) releases heat into the condenser water and is saturated or sub-cooled, cold
water is also supplied to the condenser, and hot water flows out to maintain water temperatures
and enable higher output of hot water. Constant mass flow rate of refrigerant in the entire system
is assumed [38].

14
The proposed system consists of an air-to-water heat pump unit, a loop of solar collectors, and
a seasonal tank. Besides, a DHW tank (Tank 1) called pre-heated storage tank, is connected to
the solar collection process, which could, in effect, be heated, by solar collectors (Fig.1). Tank
2 will be used as an auxiliary heater from the heat generated by the condenser heat pump or as
a storage tank for further consumer needs [38]. This means that the storage tank receiving the
output heat from the heat pump has been given the required rise in temperature of the water
required for domestic use [39].

To evaluate the seasonal performance of the heat pump part-load conditions for heating
purposes, the mathematical model proposed by Nadil [40] is used. The dynamic input
parameters for the simulation of the heat pump operation are:
• Hourly values of the external air temperature, hourly values of the building energy
demand for DHW production jk UEW presented in Fig.2,
• Imposed minimum and maximum values of the water temperature in the thermal
storage,
• The storage heat loss coefficient,
• Heat pump power, and COP from the manufacturer in DHW production.

The value of the energy quantity stored in the hot water Tank 1 w for different hours UEW is
evaluated as follows:

pw UEW M 8z ) pw z U$ pw UEW O $z{ W U27W

Where ) w is the volume storage Tank 1 (float tank)

$ w and $z{ are the hourly tank temperature and the inlet water temperatures respectively.
The thermal energy lost by the hot tank is:

pw,š™ M ' pw & ™¤t ¥$ pw UEW O $ p,t™™¦ UEW§ U28W

' pw is the overall heat loss heat transfer coefficient of the storage tank, & ™¤t is the time
duration of one hour, $ p,t™™¦ is storage room temperature for the first hour, the mean
temperature of the water in the heating storage Tank 2, $ pw U1W, is set equal to the storage room
temperature, $ pw,t™™¦ U1W.

15
$ pw,t™™¦ (i), must be known. If not available, the values of $ pw,t™™¦ can be estimated as
follows:

$ pw,t™™¦ UEW M ${|p O ? U${|p O $u UEWW U29W

${|p is the selected internal air temperature (typically equal to 20°C in winter for residential
buildings) and ?¤ is the temperature reduction factor of the storage room. The value of ?¤ can
range from 0 (thermal storages placed in a heated room) to 1 (storages placed outside). ?¤ can
be set equal to 0.5 in the case of thermal storage placed in a basement.
Therefore:

¥ pw UEW O pw,š™ UEW§

$ pw UE R 1W M $ pw UEW R U30W
8z ) pw z

To initiate the system, input data of the heat pump power and COP in DHW mode are required
for different values of the ambient temperature and a varying inlet water temperature which will
serve as another independent variable upon which the performance greatly depends. Using
interpolations of the manufacturer data, curves of the heat pump power and COP in DHW mode
are obtained as functions of the ambient temperature of the location at hand for fixed water of
the hot water produced. This generated heat will eventually be utilized in the calculation of the
temperature at the second storage Tank 2 just at the outlet from the heat pump using heat
balance. The heat balance, which characterizes or models the system, serves as the starting point
for all subsequent analysis.

¥ ¨” UEW O z z Z$ p UEW O $ pw UEW\ O p ,š™ UEW§

$ p UE R 1W M $ pw UE R 1W R U31W
8z ) pw z

$ p UEW is the initial heat pump generated temperature at Tank 2, assumed equal to $ pw UEW for
the first E p hour.
¨” UEW is the heat pump energy needed at the condenser heat exchanger

The heat pump power ¨” UEW supplied for the whole E p hour is [40]:

16
 ¨”,¦u© UEW M ¨” UEW/& ™¤t U32W

• Economic analysis

The responsibility for integration depends mainly on the initial investment costs and their
payback period. The payback period measures the time needed for energy saving to offset the
initial investment [41,42].

~ E—
BC N R 1T
k —
i M U33W
BCZE— R 1\

Where ™ is the system investment costs expressed as a function of the cost of the
components, — M the fuel cost and E— is the fuel inflation rate. k is the total energy load
supplied during the system life cycle.

Result Discussions

A realistic daily time-dependent profile of household DHW demand is required for performing
an accurate simulation (Tunis: Lat =36°49′08″ N, Long=10°09′56″ E). DHW's daily profile
depends on various parameters: number of users, equipment, atmospheric conditions, seasonal
variations, the average daily volume of hot water, and annual demand [43]. Typical energy
needs and Tunisian domestic hot water consumption during a typical day are illustrated in Fig.2.
The average number of people/houses is 4 to 5, with a 90% occupancy. The technical
specifications of the glassed PV/T solar collector are shown in Table 2. The flat-plate PV/T
solar collector has 72 monocrystalline solar cells of 1.42 m2 (870 x 1640 x 105) aperture area,
oriented N-S, and tilted 45°N towards the south. For the present simulation, Tunisian
meteorological data is used for simulation purposes and the hot water consumption and energy
needs of medium-sized families living in Tunisia are distributed at around 200 l /day at 50°C
during a day according to the profile shown in Fig.2 where the energy needs corresponding to
the heating power needed for DHW.

17
The calculation of heat pump thermal performance coefficient (COP) and compressor power
are first evaluated using a separate code with linear regression analysis as shown in Fig.3. The
equation of COP and heat pump power are based on data received from manufacturer [44].

Table.2: Glassed PV/T panel properties

Specification Value Unit Specification Value Unit
PV panel area 1.42 Tedlar thickness 0.0005
Glass thickness 0.004 Tedlar thermal conductivity 0.2 /
Glass thermal conductivity 1.1 / Absorber thickness 0.1
Glass transmittance 0.96 Absorber thermal 235 /
conductivity
Glass emissivity 0.88 Absorber specific heat 5200 ⁄ .
Glass specific heat 5488 Absorber emissivity 0.1
PV cell thickness 0.0003 Insulation thickness 0.03
PV cell absorptivity 0.9 Insulation thermal 0.045 /
conductivity
PV cell transitivity- 0.87 Tubes number 08
absorptivity factor: U;-WӢ
Packing factor 0.88 Tube outer diameter 0.019
Nominal Cell efficiency 0.155 Tube inner diameter 0.001
PV cell thermal conductivity 148 / Tubes pitch distance 0.01
PV specific heat 6200 Inlet water temperature 300

Fig.2: Hot water consumption and energy needs at different times of the day [43].
18
 Fig.3: Hourly Heat pump capacity and COP

Fig3a shows the heat pump characteristics based on manufacturing data. Hourly values of the
ambient air temperature as well as input water temperature $ w from Tank 1 (Fig.3a) are utilized
as input data to kick start the dynamic simulation code. The values of the COP and power of
the heat pump under analysis for an evaporator external ambient air temperature and
corresponding hot water delivered at various inlet temperature magnitudes have been received
from the manufacturer. A third-order polynomial curve has been generated that is
capable of best fitting the data points entered into the system. the corresponding coefficient of
performance and power are finally used to generate the total heat capacity with a relatively
small error margin. Considering temperature in °C, COP and compressor power expressions
are:

J M 2.4610•: $ 7w R 3.510•ƒ $ w . $u O 1.0210•: $ w . $u O 2.910• $ w R 9.510•: $ w . $u

R 3.810•7 $u R 3.510• $u R $ w O 7.2 U34W

19
 ™¦[ M 0.3$ 7w R 0.13$ w . $u R 0.18$ w . $u R 0.45$u7 R 27.2$ w O 14.8$ w . $u O 36$u
O 717.4$u R 6834 U35W

Fig.4 Hourly variation of the global solar radiation, ambient temperature, and wind velocity
for the location under study.

20
Fig.4 shows the hourly global solar radiation as well as hourly wind velocity and ambient
temperature from meteorological data in 2016. It was observed that the highest monthly average
hourly insolation was recorded from May to September. This is because the elevation angle of
the sun during winter is lower in the northern hemisphere than in other seasons. The average
monthly ambient temperature is 10.9°C in the winter, and 28°C in the summer. The figure
shows also the hourly wind speed within the vicinity of the installation. The hourly and
maximum wind speed were respectively 5.5 m/s and 17.67 m/s. Peak wind velocities occurred
at cold months which can have a significant effect on PV/T thermal performance.

21
 Fig.5 Hourly months PV/T and tanks temperatures distribution

Fig.5 illustrates the variation of hourly PV/T cell and glass cover temperature as well as tank
temperature along six days (from 20th to 25th) in January and July. Cell temperature strongly
depends on glass cover temperature, which depends on the ambient temperature itself. During
winter months, an average cell temperature of about 302.5K (29.5°C) is attained with a

22
maximum of 315K (42°C). Tank 2 temperature depends on Tank 1 temperature as well as
consumer hours and mass flow rate. Maximum Tank 2 temperature is reached when no
delivered DHW is supplied to the consumer. An average Tank 2 temperature of 312K (39°C)
can be reached. In summer, average and maximum PV/T cell temperatures are 313K (40°C)
and 331.6K (58.6°C) respectively. It should be noted that temperature peaks in the storage tank
can often be observed due to the non-demand for hot water at these times.

Fig.6 Monthly average PV/T output energy and efficiency with comparison

23
Fig.6a shows that the average monthly electric output from one PV/T panel has a maximum of
about 146 MJ/month. PV/T electrical efficiency varies from 11.16% to 11.68% with an average
of 11.45% and decreases marginally in the summer season as the high-temperature increases in
photovoltaic cells, causing a similarly high-temperature increase. The figure shows also that
PV/T system cannot fully satisfy the amount of electrical energy needed during the year for the
household of the selected region with a yearly deficit of about 12.55% which is observed
especially during hot months. Therefore, an adequate PV/T panel number is required to satisfy
the necessary electrical need. The present study suggested using 6 PV/T panels as we have seen
later to meet the necessary household electrical energy.

Fig.6b shows the PV/T solar Collector’s average monthly thermal energy output and thermal
efficiency. The thermal energy supplied by the PV/T panel is seen to be insufficient for hot
water needs, particularly during cold months due to lower ambient temperatures and cloudy
climate. Conversely, and as predicted, in the summer, when temperatures are extremely high,
the amount of heat energy is higher given the decreased hot water demand. With a maximum
of about 71.58% in January, an annual thermal energy production deficit of about 35.59% is
shown. Indeed, heat recovery systems may be provided using heat pumps or utilities for heat
storage. There is an average annual and maximum thermal PV/T efficiency of about 39.65%
and 45.33%, respectively. A comparison is also made with previous work carried out by Hazami
et al. [43] using the TRNSYS model, considering the same conditions and reporting a relative
thermal efficiency difference of about 2.13%. Furthermore, such analysis highlights a very good
correlation between the two models. We may conclude that the amount of electrical and thermal
energy required during the year cannot be well met by the PV/T system and other solutions can
be suggested.

24
 Fig.7 Annual thermal and electrical efficiencies

Fig.7 illustrates the annual hourly electrical and thermal efficiency of the system. It can be
observed that the electrical efficiency in both cases slightly drops during the summer, due to
the increase in the operating temperature of the cells, while the thermal efficiency is at its

25
maximum during the summer hours, reaching 49.96% with an annual average of about 27.88%.
Electrical efficiency is enhanced at cold seasons with an annual average and maximum
efficiencies of about 11.44% and 12.29% respectively.

Fig.8 Monthly average heat pump and PV/T thermal energy output for two case studies

26
Fig.8a shows a proposed solution of SAHP with 6 PV/T panels. The monthly useful thermal
power produced by the heat pump has shown a remarkable increase in the vicinity where both
the inlet water temperature from storage Tank.2 entering the system and the corresponding
ambient temperature of the location under study rise due to the increase in solar radiation. As
the energy supplied by the heat pump increased, the COP of the pump, as well as the energy
storage for Tank.2, increased. COP with an average of 3.91 under higher solar radiation and a
of maximum 4.49 at 893 W/m2. During July the maximum heat pump energy supplied is
reached (61.83 kWh). Following the decline in radiation incidence in the winter months, this
energy decreases to stabilize at around 25.53 kWh. The figure shows that without heat pump
service, the PV/T system can fulfill most of the necessary DHW throughout the year.
Nevertheless, the heat pump can be used in chiller operation mode during hot months. In
addition, such solution can be applied for other applications sectors where hot water is
extensively needed. Fig.8b provides another case where only one PVT panel is used. From
January to April, and from October to December, heat pumps are extensively used to satisfy the
needed DHW demands. From May to September, the heat pump may be utilized in a reversible
operation mode for cooling. If the heat pump is turned off during this time, an annual thermal
energy surplus of about 424.7 kWh is obtained.

27
Fig.9 Comparisons of numerical results of thermal and electrical efficiencies with previous
work done by Rejeb et al. [45]

Fig.9 shows the numerical results of thermal and electrical efficiencies according to the reduced
temperature. To validate the developed model, the obtained results are compared with the
previous model carried out by Rejeb et al. [45] at the Tunisian climatic conditions for PV/T
solar collector. The same PV/T parameters are considered, and the results indicate a good
aggregation between the models. A comparative relative difference of approximately 1.56%
and 3.2% is found for electrical and thermal efficiency.

28
 Table.3: Monthly and annual electric energy flow
Months Electric energy PV/T Electric HP Electric energy Electric Surplus Electric Surplus
needs energy supplied needed without HP (%) with HP (%)
(kWh/month) (kWh/month) (kWh/month)
Jan 4.26 4.60 3.31 4.52 -39.54
Feb 4.17 4.50 3.29 4.39 -39.41
Mar 5.23 5.65 3.15 5.59 -36.35
Apr 5.73 6.18 3.01 5.99 -34.08
May 7.19 7.77 2.41 7.72 -24.36
Jun 6.77 7.32 2.04 7.32 -19.84
Jul 7.51 8.11 1.86 7.98 -16.77
Aug 6.75 7.29 1.80 7.19 -16.77
Sep 5.61 6.06 2.04 5.99 -21.17
Oct 4.76 5.14 2.52 5.05 -28.49
Nov 4.43 4.78 3.05 4.66 -35.95
Dec 3.30 3.57 3.36 3.59 -41.14

Annual 1971.3 2129.1 955.2 ------ ------

total (kWh)
Annual 164.27 177.42 79.6 5.83% -29.49%
average(kWh)

Table.3 describes the energy flow of electricity accounting for 32 W for the two pumps used.
The PV/T system can well satisfy the electrical household needs with an average annual
electricity surplus of about 5.83 %. The HP consumed an annual average electric energy of
about 955.2 kWh, which amounts to 44.86 % of the annual PV/T electric energy supplied.
PV/T system average electrical energy output is found to 0.68 kWh/m2/day with an annual
average of 177.42 kWh/m2. When mixing heat pump systems, an annual average deficit of
around -29.49 % is observed. This indicates the proportion of purchased electrical energy in
relation to overall electrical demand, implying a reduction of about 70.51% in purchased
electrical energy. This can be minimized when the heat pump turns off during hot months (from
May to October). Therefore, the annual electric reduction has become 84.57 %. Combining heat
pump, the performance could be significantly improved by operating the heat pump when the
weather is suitable for high-efficiency operation and then stored for later use in cold or hot
water. Also, reversible heat pump operation could be analyzed for cooling purposes at hot
season. The heat pump was introduced into the system configuration to further improve the
performance by reducing the reliance on the auxiliary electric/fuel heaters and thus reducing
the total energy consumption with the ability to reach the desired consumer hot water

29
temperature. Although the potential has been demonstrated, prototypes must be designed and
checked for different applications (other building types, industry) with appropriate equipment
to get an accurate understanding of the potential benefits.

Table.4 summarizes the equipment value used in the economic study presented in Fig.1. The
measurement of the total energy load supplied during the life cycle of the PV/T solar collector
is equal to 3548.4 kWh as revealed in Table.3 (3600 kWh is estimated by Kalogirou [41]). The
electricity cost is about 0.065 US$/kWh. Assuming a discount rate of about 8%, the payback
time is PB =12.71 years is found.

Table.4: Values used in the economic evaluation

Component Value Unit
Collector 200 $
Heat pump 1475 $
Pipe 12 $/m
Tank 4750 $/m3
Other equipment 800 $
Installation 850 $

Conclusion

This paper has performed a dynamic simulation of a DTPV/T-ISAHP system for a small size
domestic household under Tunisian climatic conditions using a developed model. This present
research aimed to demonstrate the technical and practical feasibility of a PV/T-IDSAHP system
integration, to fulfill the requirements on the fluid temperature and electricity output. Matlab
code was developed and results found that 6 PV/T panels are required to fulfill the entire
electrical energy needs for the Tunisian household family with an annual electricity surplus of
about 5.83%. PV/T average electrical energy output is found to 0.68 kWh/m2/day with an
annual average of 177.42 kWh/m2. Combining a heat pump will result in an electrical deficit of
about 29.49 % per year. Such a method will, however, cover the required DHW with the desired
temperature. Results have also shown that the increase in solar radiation results in an
improvement in the PV/T heat pump system's thermal-based COP efficiency coefficient
reaching 4.49 at 893 W/m2. In the summer, a reversible heat pump operation appeared to be
more beneficial, reducing yearly electric demand by about 84.57%.
30
Due to the limited work carried out on PV/T systems in Tunisian climatic conditions, the model
is however compared with the previous work done by Hazami et al. [43] and a relative
difference of about 2.13% was found in the determination of the average annual PV/T thermal
efficiency. Also, the model is compared with simulation results done by Rejeb et al. [45] and
very good agreement is found. The potential use of the DTPV/T-ISAHP system is eventually
evaluated from an economic perspective and the payback time is found to be 12.71 years.
The present research is a first contribution to the exploration of the potential use of the DTPV/T-
ISAHP and contributes to a basis for understanding important factors when considering the
long-term and optimal operation. The intention of this study is to determine the best strategy
for using DTPV/T-ISAHP in residential buildings. However, in the commercial and industrial
sectors, where hot water is frequently needed, such a study can be extremely beneficial. Further
research may be conducted by examining a number of essential parameters such as storage tank
temperature and capacity, mass flow rate and PVT inlet temperature, heat pump evaporator and
cooling effect, multi-heat sources or trigeneration, optimal control strategies and techno-
economic assessment.

31
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