Authors: Mr. K. L. Kumar, Dr. G. K. Manikandan, Mr. M. Nandhakumar, Prof. R. Pandiyarajan
Abstract: This paper provides an extensive analysis of hybrid solar-assisted heat exchangers, with special emphasis on design innovations and performance optimization techniques for sustainable thermal energy systems. In this study, the researcher has conducted an exhaustive analysis of recent ex-perimental and computational investigations conducted between 2021 and 2026 to evaluate the important design factors in solar-assisted heat exchangers, including fin designs, phase change material, nanofluid utilization, and machine learning-based optimization techniques. An Integrated Solar Hybrid Heat Exchanger Performance Framework (ISHHEPF) has been proposed to assess the thermal efficiency, electrical efficiency, energy storage capacity, and overall performance of hybrid heat exchangers. From the analysis, it has been concluded that fin-type heat exchangers exhibit superior thermal performance, with prototypes showing heat transfer coefficient values up to 5790 W/m²°C and fluid outlet temperatures above 75°C at standard operating conditions. In addition, the combination of PCMs with nanofluids has been found to improve thermal storage capacity, with coconut oil-based PCMs showing 220.4 kJ/kg energy storage capacity with 67.1% thermal efficiency. Machine learning optimization techniques, such as XGBoost with the applica-tion of metaheuristic algorithms, show an improvement of 15% in thermal efficiency and an in-crease of 27% in exergy efficiency. The application of the techniques in the industry shows lev-elized cost of heat reductions of up to 54% compared to individual alternatives. The comparative evaluation of the alternatives in six analytical dimensions—design configuration, thermal perfor-mance, electrical efficiency, energy storage, economic viability, and optimization methodology—indicates that the hybrid PV/T system with advanced heat transfer enhancements is a promising alternative for sustainable thermal energy.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19108828
