High temperature latent heat thermal energy storage using heat pipes

A thermal network model is developed and used to analyze heat transfer in a high temperature latent heat thermal energy storage unit for solar thermal electricity generation. Specifically, the benefits of inserting multiple heat pipes between a heat transfer fluid and a phase change material (PCM) are of interest. Two storage configurations are considered; one with PCM surrounding a tube that conveys the heat transfer fluid, and the second with the PCM contained within a tube over which the heat transfer fluid flows. Both melting and solidification are simulated. It is demonstrated that adding heat pipes enhances thermal performance, which is quantified in terms of dimensionless heat pipe effectiveness.     

夏季间歇运行工况下相变温度对相变回填地埋管换热器传热性能的影响

为探究相变温度对相变材料回填地埋管换热器传热性能的影响,建立管内流体换热、回填区域相变换热及土壤换热的三维耦合传热数值模型,利用焓-多孔介质模型对相变区域相变问题进行处理,研究夏季间歇运行工况下不同相变温度回填材料对埋管换热器传热性能的影响。结果表明:添加PCM,可有效提高换热量,短期内缓解埋管周围热积聚,利用相变温度18℃的PCM回填,单位井深换热量至少比普通材料回填提高49.54%;在间歇运行初期,换热量随相变温度的升高逐渐减小,低相变温度的PCM可明显改善埋管换热量,但随着时间的进行,较高相变温度PCM回填对换热器换热量的改善效果优于前期低相变温度。此外,在运行期间,不同相变温度的PCM表现出不同的熔化、凝固特性,当PCM的熔化、凝固过程交替进行时,可减缓土壤温度在运行期间内波动幅度。     

Thermal performance of PCM thermal storage unit for a roof integrated solar heating system

The thermal performance of a phase change thermal storage unit is analysed and discussed. The storage unit is a component of a roof integrated solar heating system being developed for space heating of a home. The unit consists of several layers of phase change material (PCM) slabs with a melting temperature of 29 °C. Warm air delivered by a roof integrated collector is passed through the spaces between the PCM layers to charge the storage unit. The stored heat is utilised to heat ambient air before being admitted to a living space. The study is based on both experimental results and a theoretical two dimensional mathematical model of the PCM employed to analyse the transient thermal behaviour of the storage unit during the charge and discharge periods. The analysis takes into account the effects of sensible heat which exists when the initial temperature of the PCM is well below or above the melting point during melting or freezing. The significance of natural convection occurring inside the PCM on the heat transfer rate during melting which was previously suspected as the cause of faster melting process in one of the experiments is discussed. The results are compared with a previous analysis based on a one dimensional model which neglected the effect of sensible heat. A comparison with experimental results for a specific geometry is also made.     

Geometric design of solar-aided latent heat store depending on various parameters and phase change materials

The cylindrical latent heat storage tanks considered here are part of a domestic heating system. In this study, the performances of such energy storage tanks are optimized theoretically. Two different models describing the diurnal transient behaviour of the phase change unit were used. The first is suited to tanks where the phase change material (PCM) is packed in cylinders and the heat transfer fluid (HTF) flows parallel to it (mode 1). The second is suited to tanks where pipes containing the fluid are embedded in the PCM (mode 2). The problem (treated as two-dimensional) is tackled with an enthalpy-based method coupled to the convective heat transfer from the HTF. A series of numerical tests are then undertaken to assess the effects of various PCMs, cylinder radii, pipe radii, total PCM volume in the tank, mass flow rates of fluid, and inlet temperatures of the HTF on the storing time. In addition, optimal geometric design of the store depending on these parameters and PCMs is presented.     

Thermal performance analysis of a flat slab phase change thermal storage unit with liquid-based heat transfer fluid for cooling applications

This paper presents the results of a thermal performance analysis of a phase change thermal storage unit. The unit consists of several parallel flat slabs of phase change material (PCM) with a liquid heat transfer fluid (HTF) flowing along the passages between the slabs. A validated numerical model developed previously to solve the phase change problem in flat slabs was used. An insight is gained into the melting process by examining the temperatures of the HTF nodes, wall nodes and PCM nodes and the heat transfer rates at four phases during melting. The duration of the melting process is defined based on the level of melting completion. The effects of several parameters on the HTF outlet temperature, heat transfer rate and melting time are evaluated through a parametric study to evaluate the effects of the HTF mass flow rate, HTF inlet temperature, gap between slabs, slab dimensions, PCM initial temperature and thermal conductivity of the container on the thermal performance. The results are used to design a phase change thermal storage unit for a refrigerated truck.     

热管式吸热器单元热管传热的数值模拟分析

热管式吸热器的热性能分析对吸热器设计有着重要意义，但由于其相变过程与热管传热的耦合作用十分复杂，至今仍是很少有人深入研究的领域。本文基于焓法建立单元热管耦合传热的物理和数学模型，模拟计算了热管壁温、蓄热容器壁温、循环工质出口温度及相变材料熔化率等参数，并与基本型吸热器进行比较，验证了热管吸热器明显改善了温度分布的均匀性和相变材料的熔化率。     

水平管壳式相变蓄热装置的强化传热研究

基于焓法模型对水平管壳式相变蓄热装置热性能的增强进行研究,首先分析蓄热过程中传统管壳式装置内材料的传热及流动机理;然后引入椭圆元素并对比椭圆内管及外壳的强化传热效果;最后对热源温度、相变材料导热系数及初始温度对装置热性能的作用规律进行探讨。结果显示,椭圆外壳的强化传热效果优于内管,同等条件下,长短轴之比为2的椭圆外壳可使蓄热时间缩短53.5%。热源温度升高,椭圆外壳的强化传热效果进一步增强,相变材料的导热系数及初始温度对装置热性能的影响较小。     

Thermal and heat transfer characteristics in a latent heat storage system using lauric acid

The thermal and heat transfer characteristics of lauric acid during the melting and solidification processes were determined experimentally in a vertical double pipe energy storage system. In this study, three important subjects were addressed. The first one is temperature distributions and temporal temperature variations in the radial and axial distances in the phase change material (PCM) during phase change processes. The second one is the thermal characteristics of the lauric acid, which include total melting and total solidification times, the nature of heat transfer in melted and solidified PCM and the effect of Reynolds and Stefan numbers as inlet heat transfer fluid (HTF) conditions on the phase transition parameters. The final one is to calculate the heat transfer coefficient and the heat flow rate and also discuss the role of Reynolds and Stefan numbers on the heat transfer parameters. The experimental results proved that the PCM melts and solidifies congruently, and the melting and solidification front moved from the outer wall of the HTF pipe (HTFP) to the inner wall of the PCM container in radial distances as the melting front moved from the top to the bottom of the PCM container in axial distances. However, it was difficult to establish the solidification proceeding at the axial distances in the PCM. Though natural convection in the liquid phase played a dominant role during the melting process due to buoyancy effects, the solidification process was controlled by conduction heat transfer, and it was slowed by the conduction thermal resistance through the solidified layer. The results also indicated that the average heat transfer coefficient and the heat flow rate were affected by varying the Reynolds and Stefan numbers more during the melting process than during the solidification process due to the natural convection effect during the melting process.     

Thermal performance analysis of a phase change thermal storage unit for space heating

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive numerical study on the thermal performance of an air based phase change thermal storage unit (TSU) for space heating. The unit is designed for integration into space heating and cooling systems. The unit consists of a number of one dimensional phase change material (PCM) slabs contained in a rectangular duct where air passes between the slabs. The numerical analysis was based on an experimentally validated model. A parametric study has been carried out including the study on the effects of charge and discharge temperature differences, air mass flow rate, slab thicknesses, air gaps and slab dimensions on the air outlet temperatures and heat transfer rates of the thermal storage unit. The paper introduces and discusses quantities called charge and discharge temperature differences which play an important role in the melting and freezing processes.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal energy storage with a finned tube

A latent heat thermal energy storage system using a phase change material (PCM) is an efficient way of storing or releasing a large amount of heat during melting or solidification. It has been determined that the shell‐and‐tube type heat exchanger is the most promising device as a latent heat system that requires high efficiency for a minimum volume. In this type of heat exchanger, the PCM fills the annular shell space around the finned tube while the heat transfer fluid flows within the tube. One of the methods used for increasing the rate of energy storage is to increase the heat transfer surface area by employing finned surfaces. In this study, energy storage by phase change around a radially finned tube is investigated numerically and experimentally. The solution of the system consists of the solving governing equations for the heat transfer fluid (HTF), pipe wall and phase change material. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effect of several fin parameters (fin spacing and fin diameter) and flow parameter (Re number and inlet temperature of HTF) and compare with experimental results. The effect of each variable on energy storage and amount of solidification are presented graphically. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical and experimental investigation for heat transfer in triplex concentric tube with phase change material for thermal energy storage

This paper addresses a numerical and experimental investigation of a thermal energy storage unit involving phase change process dominated by heat conduction. The thermal energy storage unit involves a triplex concentric tube with phase change material (PCM) filling in the middle channel, with hot heat transfer fluid (HHTF) flowing outer channel during charging process and cold heat transfer fluid (CHTF) flowing inner channel during discharging process. A simple numerical method according to conversation of energy, called temperature & thermal resistance iteration method has been developed for the analysis of PCM solidification and melting in the triplex concentric tube. To test the physical validity of the numerical results, an experimental apparatus has been designed and built by which the effect of the inlet temperature and the flow rate of heat transfer fluid (HTF, including HHTF and CHTF) on the thermal energy storage has been studied. Comparison between the numerical predictions and the experimental data shows good agreement. Graphical results including fluid temperature and interface of solid and liquid phase of PCM versus time and axial position, time-wise variation of energy stored/released by the system were presented and discussed.     

Numerical simulations on performance enhancement of a cross-flow latent thermal energy storage heat exchanger

基于列管式换热器具有传热面积大、结构紧凑、操作弹性大等优点,使其在相变储能领域具有广阔的应用前景。本文建立一种新型列管式相变蓄热器模型,在不考虑自然对流的情况下,利用Fluent软件对相变蓄热器进行二维储热过程的数值模拟。本文主要研究斯蒂芬数、雷诺数、列管排列方式、肋片数以及相变材料的导热系数对熔化过程的影响,并对熔化过程中固液分界面的移动规律进行了分析。模拟结果表明,内肋片强化换热效果明显,特别是对应用低导热系数相变材料[导热系数小于1 W/(m·K)]的列管式蓄热器,相对于无肋片结构,加入肋片（N_fn=2）可缩短熔化时间52.6%。     

Thermal Insulation for a Pipe Using Phase Change Material

This research studies the effectiveness of phase change material (PCM) as a thermal insulation for a pipe. The proposed PCM insulation can be used for a pipe when the operating time is limited. The objective of using PCM is to utilize its latent heat from fusion to minimize heat loss from the pipe by absorbing and storing it to be discharged later to the pipe. The finite element method is employed to solve the problem, and both conduction and natural convection of liquid PCM are considered modes of heat transfer. The effectiveness of the PCM insulation is evaluated by comparing its thermal performance with insulation without phase change. Both time-dependent and time-independent boundary conditions are examined. For the time-independent case, the PCM insulation reduces the heat loss from the pipe for a significant amount of time if the Rayleigh number is low. For the time-dependent case, heat loss is effectively reduced with the PCM insulation for a significant amount of time. The high resolution capturing of the solid/liquid moving boundary and the details of flow structure are also presented.     

Numerical simulation of a shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage unit

A theoretical model was developed to predict the transient behavior of a shell-and-tube storage unit with the phase change material (PCM) on the shell side and the heat transfer fluid (HTF) circulating inside the tubes. The multidimensional phase change problem is tackled with an enthalpy-based method coupled to the convective heat transfer from the HTF. The numerical predictions are validated with experimental data. A series of numerical experiments are then undertaken to assess the effects of various thermal and geometric parameters on the heat transfer process and on the behavior of the system. Results show that the shell radius, the mass flow rate, and the inlet temperature of the HTF must be chosen carefully in order to optimize the performance of the unit.     

相变储能堆积床传热特性的研究

基于多孔介质传热理论,建立了储能堆积床的传热模型.在此基础上分析了换热流体流量、温度、单元尺寸、相变材料导热系数和孔隙率等参数对堆积床传热特性的影响.研究表明,提高相变材料的导热系数,增大换热流体温差或减小单元尺寸对堆积床传热速率有明显提高,而提高换热流体流量,增大对流换热系数对传热速率的影响不明显.因而强化相变材料侧的传热过程是提高堆积床传热速率的有效途径.     

Parametric analysis of space cooling systems based on night ceiling cooling with PCM‐embedded piping

A parametric analysis is conducted for space cooling systems based on cold water flowing, during the night, within regularly arranged pipes embedded in a layer of phase change material (PCM), located among the structural layers of the ceiling. The introduced PCM layer in conjunction with night cooling add to the usual ceiling cooling systems offers the advantages of low energy consumption, high cool storage capacity, operation under reduced night electricity price, smoothing of electricity consumption by eliminating daily peak loads, improved thermal comfort and elimination of ceiling dripping. Our parametric analysis is based on a transient three‐dimensional finite‐difference solution of the related heat‐transfer problem for various values of all the main system parameters. PCM phase change process is simulated by using the effective thermal capacity function, which is determined experimentally for PCM suitable for air‐conditioning applications. Our tests showed that the main parameters of the system are pipe spacing, PCM layer thickness, pipe depth within the ceiling, cooling water inlet temperature, night cooling duration and PCM properties (thermal conductivity, phase change heat and ends of phase change temperature range). The effect of all the above parameters is analysed and suggestions are made for selecting the proper combinations of their values in order to obtain the lowest energy consumption in conjunction with the highest level of thermal comfort. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heat transfer intensification in horizontal shell and tube latent heat storage unit

Employment of latent heat storage unit (LHSU) utilizing phase change material (PCM) in a substantial scale is constrained by the poor thermal conductivity of PCMs. Future utilization of LHSU will therefore to a great extent rely on the heat transfer intensification techniques. Present research is on enhancement techniques in which heat transfer mechanism is altered without altering the mass of PCM and heat transfer surface area. The intensification mechanisms considered in the present research include imparting eccentricity to heat transfer fluid (HTF) pipe, imparting rotation to the LHSU and providing multi HTF tube. Numerical investigations are reported here towards comparative evaluation of the thermal characteristics associated with such intensification mechanisms for horizontal LHSU. In the present study stearic acid (melting point 55.7–56.6?°C) is used as PCM and water is used as HTF. Results infer that all the three mechanisms offer quicker melting rate. For the geometric configuration of LHSU considered in the present research, a reduction in melting time of 47.75% is evaluated for rotating LHSU. The rate of energy storage is higher for both eccentric and rotating LHSU. Solidification process is however not accelerated by such techniques. On the contrary, eccentric and multi HTF tube LHSU takes more time for solidification.     

Numerical and experimental investigation of heat transfer in a shell and tube thermal energy storage system

A numerical and experimental investigation of phase change process dominated by heat conduction in a thermal storage unit is presented in this paper. The thermal energy storage involves a shell and tube arrangement where paraffin wax as phase change material (PCM) is filled in the shell. Water as heat transfer fluid (HTF) is passed inside the tube for both charging and discharging cycles. According to the conservation of energy, a simple numerical method called alternative iteration between thermal resistance and temperature has been developed for the analysis of heat transfer between the PCM and HTF during charging and discharging cycles. Experimental arrangement has been designed and built to examine the physical validity of the numerical results. Comparison between the numerical predictions and the experimental data shows a good agreement. A detailed parametric study is also carried out for various flow parameters and system dimensions such as different mass flow rates, inlet temperatures of HTF, tube thicknesses and radii. Numerical study reveals that the contribution of the inlet temperature of HTF has much influence than mass flow rate in terms of storage operating time and HTF outlet temperature. Tube radius is a more important parameter than thickness for better heat transfer between HTF and PCM.     

Effect of internal void placement on the heat transfer performance – Encapsulated phase change material for energy storage

The effect of an internal air void on the heat transfer phenomenon within encapsulated phase change material (EPCM) is examined. Heat transfer simulations are conducted on a two dimensional cylindrical capsule using sodium nitrate as the high temperature phase change material (PCM). The effects of thermal expansion of the PCM and the buoyancy driven convection within the fluid media are considered in the present thermal analysis. The melting time of three different initial locations of an internal 20% air void within the EPCM capsule are compared. Latent heat is stored within an EPCM capsule, in addition to sensible heat storage. In general, the solid/liquid interface propagates radially inward during the melting process. The shape of the solid liquid interface as well as the rate at which it moves is affected by the location of the internal air void. The case of an initial void located at the center of the EPCM capsule has the highest heat transfer rate and thus fastest melting time. An EPCM capsule with a void located at the top has the longest melting time. Since the inclusion of a void space is necessary to accommodate the thermal expansion of a PCM upon melting, understanding its effect on the heat transfer within an EPCM capsule is necessary.     

Numerical study of nanoencapsulated phase change material inside double pipe heat exchanger

Nanoencapsulated phase change material (NPCM) slurry is a dispersion where the phase change material (PCM) is dispersed in fluid. Compared with fluid, these nanofluids have a higher heat capacity during the phase change and a possible enhancement, as a result of this phase change, in the heat transfer phenomenon. To appreciate the merits, in terms of energy, a numerical study has been carried out with fluid based on NPCM inside double pipe heat exchanger. The numerical simulation results have been validated using experimental heat transfer data. The Reynolds and Nusselt numbers have been determined using thermal conductivity and viscosity evaluated in the same conditions as those in numerical model. The results obtained show an improvement of this energetic criterion at low mass flow rate compared with the base fluid. Analysis of the numerical and analytical results reveal that higher inlet flow rate and NPCM concentration results in higher heat transfer rate. In addition, increasing NPCM slurry temperature decreases its performance due to fast melting of PCM inside the tube.