Effect of PVT Collector Surface Area on Fluid Outlet Temperature and Collector Surface Temperature in a Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination System

Hadidi, Amin; Rastkar Ebrahimzadeh, Faraz

doi:10.22109/jemt.2026.523449.1556

Effect of PVT Collector Surface Area on Fluid Outlet Temperature and Collector Surface Temperature in a Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis Desalination System

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Amin Hadidi

Faraz Rastkar Ebrahimzadeh

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

10.22109/jemt.2026.523449.1556

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of collector surface area on the outlet fluid temperature and collector surface temperature of a photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) collector integrated with a solar-powered reverse osmosis desalination system. The analysis focuses on the thermal behavior of the PVT collector under the climatic conditions of two southern coastal cities of Iran, Bandar Bushehr and Bandar-e Lengeh, representing regions with high solar potential. A thermodynamic model was developed and validated against published data before performing a parametric analysis of collector surface area. The results show that increasing the collector area significantly enhances both the outlet fluid temperature and the collector surface temperature due to greater solar energy absorption. Increasing the collector area from 0.5 to 2.0 m² increases the collector surface temperature by approximately 13% and the outlet fluid temperature by nearly 30% in both locations. In addition, Bandar-e Lengeh exhibits a more stable thermal response than Bandar Bushehr because of its smaller daily ambient temperature fluctuations. These findings demonstrate that collector surface area is a key design parameter for improving the thermal performance of PVT-driven desalination systems under the climatic conditions of southern Iran.

Keywords

Photovoltaic–thermal collector

Solar desalination

Collector surface area

Reverse osmosis

Southern Iran

Subjects