Abstract

Pulsating Heat Pipe offers an effective passive cooling method to mitigate the efficiency drop in solar photovoltaics caused by excessive temperature. In the present work, single-loop PHP using methanol and ethanol working fluids with filling ratios of 35%, 45%, and 55% with initial pressures of 30 kPa, 50 kPa, and 100 kPa were tested at power input of 13.8-60 W. The factors that affect startup performance and thermal resistance were studied experimentally on a lab scale. The results demonstrated that PHP charged with methanol shows superior startup performance and lower thermal resistance compared to ethanol. Experimental results indicate that a 35% filling ratio provides the fastest startup condition, while the best thermal performance is obtained at 45%. Decreasing the initial pressure on PHP can accelerate startup and improve thermal performance. Integrating PHPs with the solar panel can potentially reduce the panel temperature by up to 5.1 °C.