Open Access

ARTICLE

Reducing Condensation Inside the Photovoltaic (PV) Inverter according to the Effect of Diffusion as a Process of Vapor Transport

Amal El Berry, Marwa M. Ibrahim^*, A. A. Elfeky, Mohamed F. Nasr
Mechanical Engineering Department, Engineering and Renewable Energy Research Institute, National Research Centre (NRC), Cairo, 12622, Egypt
* Corresponding Author: Marwa M. Ibrahim. Email:

Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer https://doi.org/10.32604/fhmt.2024.050684

Received 13 February 2024; Accepted 12 April 2024; Published online 08 July 2024

Abstract

A photovoltaic (PV) inverter is a vital component of a photovoltaic (PV) solar system. Photovoltaic (PV) inverter failure can mean a solar system that is no longer functioning. When electronic devices such as photovoltaic (PV) inverter devices are subjected to vapor condensation, a risk could occur. Given the amount of moisture in the air, saturation occurs when the temperature drops to the dew point, and condensation may form on surfaces. Numerical simulation with “COMSOL Software” is important for obtaining knowledge relevant to preventing condensation by using two steps. At first, the assumption was that the device’s water vapor concentration was homogeneous to evaluate the amount of liquid water accumulated on the internal walls of the photovoltaic (PV) inverter box. Second, by considering the effect of external wind velocity on moisture transport at the air interface to evaluate water vapor transport outdoors and reduce condensation. General factorial designs are utilized for analyzing the nature of the relationship between the vapor condensation response and the variables. Reducing vapor condensation inside the solar inverter by the effect of external wind speed on diffusion as a process of transporting moister air outside the inverter box is the main solution for this problem. During the movement and assessment of the flow of water vapor, the impact of vapor condensation is reduced. The saturation period was determined by using a Boolean saturation indicator. The saturation indicator was set to 1 when saturation was detected (relative humidity greater than or equal to 1) and 0 otherwise. Calculating the flow and dispersion of moist air as a function of wind speed helped solve the problem.

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Keywords

Photovoltaic; inverter; failure; vapor condensation; wind velocity; diffusion; transport and general factorial

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