A Review on Augmentation in Thermal Performance of Solar Water Heater using Phase Change Material

Abstract

The nature of solar energy is intermittent due its variable magnitude in daytime and zero throughout the night or during overcast conditions, which limiting its use in hospitals and in various industrial and domestic applications particularly in water heating. Because of inconsistent nature of solar energy some type of thermal energy storage (TES) system is essential for its effectual utilization and to meet the energy demand at all the times. Phase change material (PCM) is a very good option for latent heat TES because of its high thermal storage density and isothermal behaviour at the time of charging and discharging. The PCM absorb 5 to 14 times more heat as comparison to sensible heat storge material such as water, stone, bricks or rocks etc. The PCM with nano-sized-particle can enhanced the performance of LHTS systems. In this review, ongoing research and development on the performance of solar water heater (SWH) incorporating with PCM’s and nano-embedded PCM is summarized and to provide viewpoint for future research and development.