Numerical Simulation of an Indirect Contact Mobilized Thermal Energy Storage Container with Different Tube Bundle Layout and Fin Structure

Kang, Zhangyang; Zhou, Weidong; Qiu, Kaijie; Wang, Chaojie; Qin, Zhaolong; Zhang, Bingyang; Yao, Qiongqiong

doi:10.3390/su15065511

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Before this, Dhaidan et al [5] reviewed the analytical, numerical, and experimental methods used to study the melting/curing process of PCM in containers with different geometric shapes. Kang et al [6] investigated indirect-contact M-TES containers with different tube bundle layouts and fin structures by means of numerical simulation. Francis Agyenim et al [7] compared the performance of multi-tube and singletube shell systems through experimental studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Geometric Parameters and Heat-Transfer Fluid Injection Direction on Enhanced Phase-Change Energy Storage in Vertical Shell-and-Tube System

Guo,

Zhou,

Liu

et al. 2023

Sustainability

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Internationally, energy-storage technologies have facilitated the large-scale utilization of renewable energy, reducing reliance on conventional power generation and enhancing energy efficiency. In the pursuit of strengthening the efficiency of phase-change energy-storage systems, the focus lies on further enhancing the efficiency of vertical shell-and-tube energy-storage systems. This study investigates the influence of two different heat-transfer fluid (HTF) injection directions on the melting of phase-change materials (PCM) in a vertical shell-and-tube latent heat storage (LHS) system. The melting behavior of PCM is analyzed under both pure conduction and natural convection conditions. The research findings reveal that during the initial melting stage, both HTF injection methods primarily rely on thermal conduction, resulting in no significant changes in PCM melting. However, in the later stages of natural convection, bottom HTF injection exhibits superior heat-transfer efficiency compared to top injection. Under a constant volume of phase-change material, both pipe length and pipe thickness affect the PCM melting process. As the pipe length increases within the range of 1.6 m to 0.2 m, the PCM melting time also increases. The results show that the melting time of the PCM is reduced by almost 15,000 s when the tube length H exceeds 800 mm, regardless of whether the heat-transfer fluid is injected at the top or bottom. In this paper, we also obtained results that the three composites containing 10% expanded graphite save 5.3%, 10.2%, and 14.3% of melting time, respectively, compared to pure paraffin when H = 200 mm and top injection are considered. For bottom injection, the three composites saved 7.7%, 12.5%, and 17.2% of melting time, respectively. This further emphasizes the more significant effect of priming in improving melting time.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Geometric Parameters and Heat-Transfer Fluid Injection Direction on Enhanced Phase-Change Energy Storage in Vertical Shell-and-Tube System

Guo,

Zhou,

Liu

et al. 2023

Sustainability

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tang et al [41] investigated the effects of tube bundle arrangement and fins arrangement on LHS system performance. Kang et al [42] numerically studied the TES containers with different tube bundle layouts. A peripheral distribution layout mode of the heat exchanger tube improved the heat charging efficiency by 12.6% compared to the traditional uniform layout.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melting and Solidification Characteristics of PCM in Oscillated Bundled-Tube Thermal Energy Storage System

Liu,

Xiao,

Chen

et al. 2024

Energies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Phase change material (PCM) based thermal energy storage (TES) is an important solution to the waste of heat and intermittency of new energy sources. However, the thermal conductivity of most PCMs is low, which severely affects the thermal energy storage performance. Oscillation of the tube bundles in a TES unit can intensify the convection of liquid PCM and, therefore, enhance heat transfer. However, the energy storage performance of bundled-tube TES systems in response to oscillation at different amplitudes and frequencies has not been well understood yet, and the optimum time to apply the oscillation during phase transition remains unexplored. To address this issue, this present study was carried out. First, the melting behaviour of PCM with oscillation starting at different times was investigated. Then, the influences of oscillation frequency and amplitude on the melting performance were explored. Finally, the solidification behaviour of PCM with oscillation starting at different times was examined. Results show that the oscillation can accelerate the phase transition process by enhancing convective heat transfer. Compared to the case without oscillation, the complete melting and solidification times are reduced by 8.2 and 6.7% for the case with oscillation starting at 200 s, respectively. The effect of oscillation frequency on the melting enhancement is negligible, while the oscillation amplitude has an important effect on the melting enhancement.

show abstract

“…The other container type is the indirect contact vessel, which utilizes a built-in heat exchanger [8,9] to facilitate heat transfer between the PCM and the heat transfer medium. Notably, the indirect contact container allows for enhanced heat transfer, as demonstrated by Kang et al [10], who proposed the vertical mounting of Y-shaped fins to improve the heat charging efficiency of the M-TES container. On the other hand, the direct-contact structure reduces container weight and lowers transportation costs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of a Phase-Change Energy Storage Box in a Modular Mobile Thermal Energy Supply System

Kang,

Tan,

Zhou

et al. 2023

Sustainability

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Featuring phase-change energy storage, a mobile thermal energy supply system (M-TES) demonstrates remarkable waste heat transfer capabilities across various spatial scales and temporal durations, thereby effectively optimizing the localized energy distribution structure—a pivotal contribution to the attainment of objectives such as “carbon peak” and “carbon neutral”. To heighten the efficiency of energy transfer for mobile heating, this research introduces the innovative concept of modular storage and transportation. This concept is brought to life through the development of a meticulously designed modular mobile phase-change energy storage compartment system. Employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an in-depth exploration into the performance of the modular M-TES container and the adapted phase-change material (PCM) is conducted. By implementing fin arrangements on the inner wall of the heat storage module, a remarkable upsurge in the liquid phase-transition rate of the phase-change material is achieved in comparison to the design lacking fins—this improvement approximating around 30%. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the augmentation in heat transfer gradually recedes with the proliferation of fins or an escalation in their height. Moreover, the integration of expanded graphite into erythritol emerges as profoundly effective in amplifying the thermal conductivity of the PCM. Notably, with the addition of a 15.2% volume fraction of expanded graphite to erythritol, the duration of heat storage experiences a drastic reduction to nearly 10% of its original duration, thereby signifying a momentous advancement in thermal performance.

show abstract

Numerical Simulation of an Indirect Contact Mobilized Thermal Energy Storage Container with Different Tube Bundle Layout and Fin Structure

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

Effects of Geometric Parameters and Heat-Transfer Fluid Injection Direction on Enhanced Phase-Change Energy Storage in Vertical Shell-and-Tube System

Effects of Geometric Parameters and Heat-Transfer Fluid Injection Direction on Enhanced Phase-Change Energy Storage in Vertical Shell-and-Tube System

Melting and Solidification Characteristics of PCM in Oscillated Bundled-Tube Thermal Energy Storage System

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of a Phase-Change Energy Storage Box in a Modular Mobile Thermal Energy Supply System

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About