Through the team’s research, there are several physical key constraints that affect how much our device is able to cool a solar panel which include the size of the device, cold plate material, cold plate surface area, type of coolant, total weight of device, and heat reduction. Using a cold plate material with a high thermal conductivity will ensure transferring the heat away from the solar panel more swiftly. The surface area of the cold plate will affect how promptly it is able to disperse heat away from the solar panel. The coolant fluid that flows through the cold plate is what will absorb heat from the solar panel, so using a type of coolant that is colder will be able to absorb more heat. The size and mass of the cold plate are to be considered as it will be attached to the solar panel which means it has to still be under the weight limit the roof can hold.
Constraints | Specifications | Context/Reason |
Size of Device | Less than 82.4” x 50.9” x 20” | Ensure the transportation & accessibility of the prototype for testing. |
Cold Plate Material | Aluminum: 237 W/m*K or Copper: 398 W/m*K | Choosing a material with high thermal conductivity allows for higher cooling |
Cold Plate Surface Area | Must not exceed the solar panel’s surface area | The surface area of the cold plate will affect how much it can cool the solar panel by. |
Type of Coolant | Chilled water: Or Ethylene glycol | The type of coolant will affect how much heat is taken away from the solar panel |
Weight of the Device and Solar Panel | Must not exceed 20 pounds per square foot | This is the average weight capacity of a shingled roof |
Heat Reduction | 10 degrees Celsius | The team is aiming to decrease temperature of solar panel by that temperature |
These physical constraints will pose challenges to our design because they are directly related to the ability of the device to cool down the solar panel and how well the solution is able to work. As stated previously in the summary, the size of the device must be able to fit within the specified parameters to be able to be transported. Materials with higher thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper are able to transfer heat away more quickly but are more expensive and difficult to manufacture than materials with lower thermal conductivity. A larger cold plate surface area will allow for more heat transfer to occur but it will also mean that the cold plate will be larger, heavier, and more costly. Using a type of coolant that is cold will be able to absorb more heat before reaching saturation temperature, however, it may require additional equipment which will increase cost and complexity. A higher flow rate allows the coolant to absorb more heat but it will require a more powerful pumping system which can increase cost and power consumption. The size and weight are important to consider as it has to be mounted onto the solar panel so the total weight must be below the limit a residential roof can hold.
The technical analysis plan to address these constraints is for the team will start with making the decision on which solar panel to purchase in order to find out the working dimensions of the panel. From these dimensions, the team can extract the surface area. This will be used along with the
Figure 1: Pankaj Kalita Dudul Das, Samar Das, Rabindra Kangsha Banik & Urbashi Bordoloi
heat transfer coefficient of air to determine the required heat flux needed to achieve the desired change in temperature. The thermal conductivity of the solar panel also needs to be determined in order to calculate how much heat will pass through to the panel’s backplate. The team plans to attach a cold plate to this backplate to remove heat through conduction. Using Fourier’s law, the team can figure out how much heat is needed to be removed by the cold plate attached to the back of the panel. Based on the amount of heat that needs to be removed, the team can then determine the dimensions of the cold plate and the size of the heatsinks that will be used to transfer heat from the cold plate out to the environment. Additional research will be conducted to find the equations that will determine the required mass flow rate and type of cooling liquid that will be utilized within the cold plate and heatsinks.
Figure 2: Cold Plate Structure by Yan Wang
While there are several technical & physical challnges that must be addressed by this team, There are several soft challenges that the team faces such as the following:
Team Dynamic: The culture of this team is going to be a critical part of what makes this project work. In order to achieve optimal team efficiency, the first step has been setting up weekly team meetings in order to discuss the project goals, deliverables, & timelines. The second one is working on said key deliverables & delegating the assignments to the individuals who have the right skill sets to complete them. Finally, overall communication is critical in making sure that the team dynamic stays healthy & provides productivity within the group.
Residential Home-Owners: Reaching out to current residential homeowners who have solar panels has been another soft challenge. These homeowners are our main customers and getting in contact with them will provide valuable information to the team in terms of understanding how these solar panels are placed and operate in a real-time manner.
Project Plan Clarity: A critical component of this team’s success lies within having a detailed project plan of the design phases, the fabrication phase, the testing phase, and the validation phase are going to be absolutely crucial in ensuring the milestones that are set are achieved.
Stakeholder Management: Ensuring that the stakeholders involved such as the customers, technicians, machinists, and so forth are all on the same page as to what the project is doing and what direction it is headed in. The manner in which they will be on the same page is by giving detailed summaries of the results and processes of what the team is conducting in order to achieve the set goals on the given timeline to ensure stakeholder satisfaction.
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