Numerical investigation of PCM melting using different tube configurations in a shell and tube latent heat thermal storage unit

Mahdi, Mustafa S.; Mahood, Hameed B.; Alammar, Ahmed A.; Khadom, Anees A.

doi:10.1016/j.tsep.2021.101030

Cited by 25 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…It leads to more melt PCM as it exchanges heat with the nearby solid PCM and forms a ring‐like structure around the HTT, expanding further as further melting occurs. PCM settling and its upward movement in the container are also observed in the literature 79 . Once formed, liquid PCM exchanges heat with solid PCM and transmit its sensible heat for further melting.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 52%

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Numerical investigation on melting and energy storage density enhancement of phase change material in a horizontal cylindrical container

Senthil

Punniakodi

Balasubramanian

et al. 2022

Intl J of Energy Research

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Summary Thermal energy storage (TES) plays a significant role in storing heat energy during the availability of a source. The phase change material (PCM) storage density is high, but its meager thermal conductivity leads to ineffective heat transfer. This mathematical modeling work simulates two different heat transfer tube (HTT) arrangements in a horizontal cylindrical container to melt the PCM using the enthalpy‐porosity method. Case‐1 with a single HTT at the centroidal axis and Case‐2 with multiple tubes spread radially. Cases‐1 and 2 are observed with melting and solidification duration of 39.8 and 184 minutes, and 69.83 and 292.5 minutes respectively. Case‐1 has a shorter melting and solidification time because of the optimal HTT location. Case‐2 is observed with a high heat storage density of 224.95 MJ/m3, compared to Case‐1 with 224.571 MJ/m3. Nusselt number is higher for Case‐2 (385.86) during charging and higher for Case‐1 (208) during discharging. Nusselt number initially varies for both cases due to effective heat convection at the start; however, Case‐1 has a shorter melting duration with its energy density lower than the Case‐2. Based on the obtained results, it could be suggested that Case‐1 could be applicable when simultaneous heat transfer requires less energy storage and a faster melting rate, while Case‐2 could be used in places that demand a higher storage density.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 52%

“…PCM settling and its upward movement in the container are also observed in the literature. 79 Once formed, liquid PCM exchanges heat with solid PCM and transmit its sensible heat for further melting. Solid PCM that absorbs sensible heat from liquid PCM tends to melt and continues until all solid PCM changes into liquid PCM.…”

Section: Charging and Dischargingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical investigation on melting and energy storage density enhancement of phase change material in a horizontal cylindrical container

Senthil

Punniakodi

Balasubramanian

et al. 2022

Intl J of Energy Research

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“…Case (d) has a 40° cell angle, while case (e) has a 20° cell angle. The PCM used in the current study is lauric acid with 99% purity because of its high storage capacity and low corrosion effect 29 . Notably, all the studied cases have the same PCM amount/volume of 120 g.…”

Section: Problem Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical study on the thermal energy storage employing phase change material with honeycomb structure: The effect of heat transfer fluid configuration and honeycomb cell angles

Mahdi

Hasan

2022

Energy Storage

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Considerable literature has studied different techniques to improve the thermal performance of latent heat thermal energy systems (LHTES) that utilize phase change materials (PCMs). This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by using honeycomb structure and exploring the effect of heat transfer fluid (HTF) configuration and honeycomb cell angle on the thermal performance of the LHTES during melting and solidification processes. In this work, five cases were designed: case (a) was regarded as reference case; cases (b) and (c) were related to HTF configuration; cases (d) and (e) were used to study the effect of honeycomb cell angle. A numerical study was conducted using ANSYS FLUENT R19.3, followed by experimental validation. In this study, a good agreement is obtained from the validation process. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model results show symmetrical melting and solidification behavior when using a honeycomb structure. The results of the HTF configuration show a significant effect. For case (c) with a multiple water block, significant melting and solidification enhancements are obtained with 56% and 50%, respectively. Thus, the HTF configuration can improve the thermal performance of the storage. However, considering different honeycomb cell angles show an insignificant effect on the melting and solidification rates.

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“…These models typically consider PCM and heat transfer fluid as a one‐dimensional system with a finite heat transfer coefficient, with both experimental and numerical results demonstrating improvements in charging and discharging rates 8 . Moreover, recent findings 9 suggest that PCM‐equipped flat plate collectors can extend the delivery time of hot water in the morning while maintaining lower output temperatures, showcasing their enhanced efficiency. In contrast, research 10 has indicated that the thermal conductivity of the heat exchanger material has minimal impact on the rate at which PCM melts 11 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance analysis of solar immersion heater with phase change material

Vichare,

Nene,

Utage

2024

Energy Storage

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Thermal energy storage (TES) systems have emerged as a vital solution for addressing the gap between energy supply and demand. While research on solar energy storage has primarily focused on flat‐plate collectors, limited work has been done to explore the potential of Scheffler solar concentrators. This study proposes an innovative approach to thermal energy storage using a Scheffler solar concentrator and phase change material (PCM) to address the energy needs of rural areas with limited access to electricity. Real‐time design and testing were conducted using paraffin wax as the PCM, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed using the ANSYS Fluent software to determine the optimal charging and discharging times. The results indicated that the required charging time was 17 min according to the CFD analysis, while the experimental results yielded a charging time of 18 min. The results demonstrated that the proposed approach is a feasible and effective solution for meeting the energy demands of rural communities. The charging time was optimized using the response surface method, yielding an optimal charging time of 20.5 min and an optimal discharging time of 26.2 min. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of utilizing Scheffler solar concentrators and PCMs for sustainable and reliable thermal energy storage.

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Numerical investigation of PCM melting using different tube configurations in a shell and tube latent heat thermal storage unit

Cited by 25 publications

References 44 publications

Numerical investigation on melting and energy storage density enhancement of phase change material in a horizontal cylindrical container

Numerical investigation on melting and energy storage density enhancement of phase change material in a horizontal cylindrical container

Numerical study on the thermal energy storage employing phase change material with honeycomb structure: The effect of heat transfer fluid configuration and honeycomb cell angles

Performance analysis of solar immersion heater with phase change material

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