Numerical Analysis of Key Parameters Influencing the Performance of a PV/T System with Surface-Augmented Forced Air and Nanofluids

Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) systems are widely employed as renewable energy solutions in various engineering applications. This study aims to determine the optimal operating conditions and propose enhanced configurations to improve system performance. Numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent software to evaluate the effects of various modifications on the PV/T system. To mitigate the adverse impact of elevated operating temperatures on system efficiency, different cooling fluids were employed, including forced air, water, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-water nanofluid, and graphene nanoparticle-water nanofluid. Simulation outcomes—including CFD-generated contour plots, Taguchi optimization results, and performance data derived from energy and exergy analyses—were systematically evaluated and visualized through appropriate graphs. Among the tested fluids, the MWCNT/water nanofluid demonstrated 5% higher total energy efficiency and 0.4% higher exergy efficiency on average compared to the graphene/water mixture. For the MWCNT/water nanofluid, which exhibited the highest exergy efficiency, a multiple regression model was developed as follows: η ex = 9500−0.0380⋅ V air +0.00961⋅I+0.0042⋅ V air 2 −0.000002⋅ I 2 +0.000300⋅ V air ⋅I . The analysis revealed that increasing the air flow rate consistently improved both the thermal and exergy efficiencies of the system across all tested configurations.