20.500.12556/RUL-182706 Reliable and cost-effective microchannel cooling for hotspot suppression in high-concentration photovoltaic modules Hotspot formation in high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) modules reduces electrical efficiency and accelerates material degradation, limiting system reliability and lifespan. To address this challenge, this study proposes a multi-compartment microchannel heat sink (MCHS) design to improve cooling uniformity in dense-array HCPV modules. A conventional single-compartment MCHS was reconfigured into two- and four-compartment designs, maintaining identical external dimensions for manufacturability. Three-dimensional CFD simulations in ANSYS, validated against published experimental and numerical data, were used to assess thermal, hydraulic, and electrical performance under varying coolant flow rates and flow arrangements. The four-compartment MCHS outperformed all other configurations, achieved 76 % better temperature uniformity, reduced average module temperature by 17.7 %, and increased the Nusselt number by 71 % compared to the baseline at 400 g/min (Re ≈ 800). Electrical efficiency improved by 1.7 %, exergy efficiency by 2.3 %, and power output by 3 W. A Figure of Merit (FoM) analysis confirmed up to 33 % higher thermal–hydraulic efficiency relative to the baseline. Arrhenius-based reliability modelling further indicated a potential lifetime extension of more than threefold. Thermo-economic analysis showed a 2.16 % higher electrical power gain and a payback period shortened to 3.28 years. These results demonstrate that multi-compartment MCHS designs provide a scalable, reliable, and economically viable solution for hotspot suppression, enhancing efficiency, uniformity, and economic returns for both terrestrial and space-constrained HCPV applications. uniform cooling hotspot suppression multijunction solar cells thermo-economic analysis lifetime reliability uniformno hlajenje zatiranje vročih točk večspojne sončne celice termoekonomska analiza življenjska zanesljivost true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-05-21 09:48:52 2026-05-21 09:49:02 2026-07-02 15:36:57 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 15 str. pt. 5, art. 128516 Vol. 280 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 621.383.51:536.24 1359-4311 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2025.128516 278879747 Ali,_Poredos_..._Reliable_cost....pdf Ali,_Poredos_..._Reliable_cost....pdf 1 97D48B031B756D91F16C27D084015C13 d3bb8fcd47e57b97356882e4c080a604d6632acb75ce36a7355dec27046c66e0 72942643-54e9-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=234190 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359431125031084 1 376d5908-54e9-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=234189 Fakulteta za strojništvo 0 0 0