Evaluation and comparison of thermal performance of latent heat storage units with shell-and-tube, rectangular, and cylindrical configurations

Ding, Chen; Pei, Jinchen; Wang, Shengnan; Wang, Yichun

doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119364

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…This approach offers several advantageous features, including minimal temperature variation during the storage process and high storage capacity. Over the past three decades, numerous studies have focused on exploring the benefits of LTES, [1][2][3][4][5] comparing various LTES configurations, 6,7 developing novel classes of PCMs, 8,9 and implementing LTES in solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems. [10][11][12][13] Due to the low thermal conductivity of most PCMs, the heat transfer rate within LTES systems is limited, resulting in a reduced phase change rate during charging and discharging periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

Elbahjaoui,

Hanchi

2023

Energy Storage

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To enhance the thermal characteristics of a solar collector storage system, this study investigates the performance of a rectangular thermal energy storage (TES) tank by incorporating cascade phase change materials (cascade‐PCMs). Three different commercially available PCMs (RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC) with distinct melting temperatures are employed. These cascade‐PCMs are utilized as slabs in vertical rectangular modules, which are integrated into the water TES tank. The heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the flat‐plate solar collector captures solar energy and transfers it to the TES tank, where it is stored as latent thermal energy. A two‐dimensional (2D) numerical model, utilizing the enthalpy‐porosity approach and conservation equations, is developed to analyze the melting and heat transfer processes within the TES tank. The model is validated against previous experimental and numerical data. Performance evaluation of the cascade‐PCMs tank is conducted during a 9‐h charging period (from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) under Marrakesh weather conditions in Morocco. An optimization study is carried out to determine the optimal height of each cascade‐PCM. The results suggest that an optimal design with heights of 23, 16, and 11 cm for RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC respectively, offers improved melting and storage quality. The thermal characteristics of the TES tank incorporating cascade‐PCMs are compared to those of a TES tank filled with a single phase change material (single‐PCM) during the charging period. The findings indicate that the cascade‐PCMs achieve complete melting, while the single‐PCM only reaches a melting fraction of 0.903 at the end of the charging process. Furthermore, the optimal configuration of the cascade‐PCMs storage tank exhibits slightly higher sensible and latent thermal energy storage capacity compared to the single‐PCM tank. The combination of the solar collector with the cascade‐PCMs storage tank results in a 3.47% higher average collection efficiency when compared to the single‐PCM tank.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

Elbahjaoui,

Hanchi

2023

Energy Storage

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“…The PCM can mainly be enclosed in cylindrical [20], rectangular [21], spherical [22,23], trapezate [24], shell-and-tube [25,26], triplex-tube [19,27,28], and parallelepiped [29,30] containers [31,32]. In recent years, researchers have focused on comparing various geometric solutions and their impact on the heat transfer rate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This effect is further enhanced as the amount of PCM in the containers increases. Ding et al [26] developed interesting geometric variants for rectangular, cylindrical, and shell-and-tube containers. The results of the research showed that, despite the fact that natural convection intensity is the highest in cylindrical storage, the shell-and-tube LHTES achieves the highest heat transfer rate due to the lowest thermal resistance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shell Shape Influence on Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Performance during Melting and Solidification

Wołoszyn,

Szopa

2023

Energies

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Phase-change materials have various applications across industries from thermal energy storage through automotive battery temperature management systems to thermal stabilisation. Many of these applications are shell and tube structures with different shell shapes. However, it is not yet known how the shape of the shell affects the melting, solidification times, and heat transport processes in such structures. To fill this research gap, seventeen shell shapes/orientations were compared using a simulation study. The well-known and validated enthalpy porosity algorithm implemented in the Fluent 2021R2 software was used. The numerical calculations were preceded by the measurement of thermal conductivity, phase change enthalpy, and specific heat during melting and solidification of the phase-change material. The shortest melting time was achieved for a semi-circular shell shape in the downward position, which was 44% shorter than the reference circular case. The shortest solidification times were recorded for an isosceles trapezium in an upward orientation relative to the reference circular case. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the melting time in shell-and-tube systems as a result of the appropriate selection of the shell shape.

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Investigation of the characteristics and mechanisms of contact melting and float melting phenomena inside a sphere

Chen

Wang

et al. 2023

Applied Thermal Engineering

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Evaluation and comparison of thermal performance of latent heat storage units with shell-and-tube, rectangular, and cylindrical configurations

Cited by 18 publications

References 38 publications

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

Shell Shape Influence on Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Performance during Melting and Solidification

Investigation of the characteristics and mechanisms of contact melting and float melting phenomena inside a sphere

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