Thermal radiation effects in phase-change energy-storage systems

A numerical model was developed to determine the transient temperature distribution, solid/liquid interface location, and energy-storage capacity of a semi-transparent phase-change medium. The medium is bounded between two concentric cylinders and internal energy transfer occurs simultaneously by conduction and thermal radiation. The radiation transport equation was coupled with the energy equation; both enthalpy and temperature were employed as dependent variables. The spherical harmonic approximation (P-N approximation) was used to obtain solutions for the radiative heat flux. The coupled conservation of energy and moment differential equations were solved by using iterative numerical finite-difference schemes with appropriate thermal and radiant boundary and interface conditions. The numerical model was used to study the effects of radiation on solidification (melting), transient temperature distribution and energy-storage capacity of an absorbing, emitting, and isotropically scattering, semi-transparent, gray medium contained in a cylindrical annulus. The results increase our understanding of internal energy transfer and show the effects of optical properties, conduction/radiation parameter, and geometric dimensions and should lead to better designs and optimization of phase-change energy-storage systems.