Performance Evaluation of a Photovoltaic Module-Driven van der Waals Heterostructure-Based Thermionic Refrigerator

Abstract

For developing an efficient solar cooling technology, a novel coupled system comprising a photovoltaic(PV) module and a van der Waals heterostructure(vdWH)-based thermionic refrigerator(TIR) is established. With full consideration of internal and external irreversibility, the theoretical model of the coupled system is constructed, and mathematical expressions for the key performance indicators are derived. On this basis, the general properties of the coupled system are investigated, and the voltage region permitting the system to operate is determined. According to the calculations, the maximum refrigerating capacity and the maximum coefficient of performance(COP) are 75.88 W and 0.49, respectively. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are conducted to derive the regularity and magnitude of the impacts of critical parameters on the overall performance of the coupled system, including solar irradiance, effective Schottky barrier height, inter-layer thermal resistance, external thermal resistance, heat leakage thermal resistance and hot reservoir temperature. The obtained outcomes may contribute to the design and operation of practical coupled systems.

Keywords

photovoltaic(PV) module / thermionic refrigerator(TIR) / van der Waals heterostructure(vdWH) / coupling characteristic / sensitivity assessment

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