WO-2026095908-A1 - PV–BATTERY MODULE WITH PCM THERMAL MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a PV–battery module with PCM thermal management, which is a compact system that both prevents overheating of photovoltaic cells (PV) and the battery during summer months and eliminates the problem of low-temperature operation of the PV and the battery during winter months, while also preventing mechanical fatigue caused by daily temperature differences between day and night.

Inventors

• OZSABAN, Mert

Assignees

• RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN UNIVERSITESI REKTORLUGU

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251023

Priority Date

20241028

Claims (5)

1. 1. A PV-battery module with PCM thermal management comprising: - a PV (1 ) that converts solar energy into electrical energy; - an aluminium outer housing (2) that frames the PV-battery module with PCM thermal management, dissipates the generated excess heat to the environment by convection, and can be insulated when necessary; - a PCM (3) that, by means of the heat generated by the PV (1 ), simultaneously prevents both the problem of the battery (4) operating at temperatures below 10°C and the problem of the PV (1 ) and the batteries (4) reaching temperatures above 35°C, that absorbs the heat generated by the battery (4) during charging and discharging conditions in which excessive current occurs to prevent the cylindrical battery (4) from rising above 35°C and thereby prevents malfunctions, explosion, and fire situations of the batteries (4), that absorbs excess heat from the PV (1 ) when the PV (1 ) heats up to prevent its efficiency from decreasing by preventing it from exceeding 35°C and to avoid reduction of the service life of the PV (1 ), that keeps the PV (1 ) at the same temperature during day and night, that enables the battery (4) to operate at its optimum temperature of 15-35°C to increase its capacity, and that, by the heat it stores when there is no sunlight, enables an increase in the capacity of the batteries (4); and - a thin cylindrical battery (4) that serves to store the electricity generated by the PV (1 ), is surrounded by the PCM (3), and can store electricity supplied from the grid and/or another external system, particularly at night when there is no sunlight.
2. 2. The PV-battery module with PCM thermal management according to claim 1 , comprising pipes (5) with high heat transfer coefficients, which are placed inside the PCM (3) in order to extract the excess heat of the PV-battery module with PCM thermal management and to provide hot water or a hot fluid that can be stored in any source, used in any device, or made ready for use, and through which a fluid or water at a temperature below 35-40°C, supplied from a grid source, a storage tank, or a natural source is passed and thereby the excess heat is extracted from the PCM (3) when the phase change of the PCM (3) material is completed so that its temperature does not increase, maintaining the PV (1 ), the PCM (3), and the batteries (4) at their optimum temperature of 15- 35°C.
3. 3. The PV-battery module with PCM thermal management according to claim 1 , comprising insulation (6) applied to the outer side of the outer housing (2), which prevents the transfer of heat from the outer housing (2) to the environment, ensuring that the batteries (4) at temperatures below 10°C in cold weather are maintained at their optimum temperature of 15-35°C, and which, even when the temperature is above 40°C, allows maximum hot water supply when desired.
4. 4. The PV-battery module with PCM thermal management according to claim 1 , comprising a PCM (3) that is a graphite-paraffin composite in which graphite and paraffin changing phase at 35°C are used, or a PCM (3) that contains paraffin within metal foam to increase thermal conductivity.
5. 5. The PV-battery module with PCM thermal management according to claim 1 , comprising a PCM (3) having a melting temperature within the range of 15- 35°C.

Description

DESCRIPTION PV-BATTERY MODULE WITH PCM THERMAL MANAGEMENT Technical Field of the Invention The invention relates to a PV-battery module with PCM thermal management, which is a compact system that both prevents overheating of photovoltaic cells (PV) and the battery during summer months and eliminates the problem of low -temperature operation of the PV and the battery during winter months, while also preventing mechanical fatigue caused by daily temperature differences between day and night. State of the Art Photovoltaic cells are electrical devices that convert the energy of light directly into electricity through a physical and chemical phenomenon known as the photovoltaic effect. They are a form of photoelectric cell that can be defined as a device whose electrical properties such as current, voltage, or resistance change when exposed to light. Solar cells are the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic devices, which are generally known among the public as solar panels or modules. The importance of solar energy utilisation is increasing year by year. In the twentieth century, while the world population increased fourfold, energy demand increased sixteen fold. Today, the amount of energy required for 6.5 billion people to sustain their current lifestyle is approximately 13 terawatts (TW). According to forward-looking projections, by the year 2050 the energy demand of humankind will be 10 terawatts higher compared to the present day. This means that if energy is to be obtained without causing global warming, it will be necessary to build a 1 -gigawatt nuclear power plant every day until 2050. The total wind energy potential on Earth is around 2-4 TW, the hydroelectric energy source is 0.5 TW, the geothermal energy source is 12 TW, the amount of energy that can be produced from tidal and ocean currents is 2 TW, and the amount of solar energy available on Earth is 120 000 TW. These data concretely demonstrate the importance of solar energy utilisation. Photovoltaic cells (PV) may be damaged, and the efficiency of electricity generation may decrease when operating at high temperatures during extremely hot summer conditions. When the electricity generated in the PV is intended to be stored in the battery, if high-current electricity flows into the battery or a high current is drawn, the cells may overheat and lose functionality, and in some cases explosions and fires may occur. Due to the temperature differences between the high daytime temperatures under sunlight and the low night temperatures, PVs are also subjected to daily mechanical fatigue. The main PCM material is commercially available as “paraffin wax” in English and “parafin vaks” in Turkish. Paraffin wax is not used to refer chemically to pure paraffin; it is a substance obtained from petroleum or by the Fischer-Tropsch method, consisting largely of chemical paraffin with the remaining part composed of different chemical structures. Although various proposals and implementations have been developed in the prior art to protect PVs and batteries from low and high temperatures, these developments are not sufficient. Some applications concerning inventions developed for this purpose are given below. The invention disclosed in application number “W02014086503A1” in the prior art is in the field of photovoltaics and relates to a method for coating the surfaces of electronic components in order to increase energy efficiency and service life, and it is described that the cooling of the PV is carried out by coating the back of the PV with PCM and particularly by using encapsulated paraffin wax that changes phase between 27 and 40°C. The invention disclosed in application number “CN101546843A” in the prior art relates to the cooling of batteries used in an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and other power equipment that operate in a relatively harsh thermal environment during operation, in order to achieve good cooling within the battery and to ensure temperature uniformity between battery cells, by means of PCM. In the prior art, there are applications concerning the use of PV-PCM and Battery- PCM combinations for solving the problems of PVs being exposed to temperature variations, but there is no compact system that provides a solution for both problems. For this reason, the efficiency and service life of PVs are limited. As a result, due to the drawbacks mentioned above and the inadequacy of current solutions regarding the subject matter, a development in the relevant technical field has become necessary. The Aim of the Invention The most important aim of the invention is to prevent the PV and the battery from overheating in summer and to solve the problem of low-temperature operation of the PV and the battery in winter. It is to be able to solve both of these situations with a single compact system. Another aim of the invention is to prevent the battery from reaching high temperatures by having the heat generated by the battery during charging and