Abstract
In a numerical investigation of the thermal energy storage performance of a latent heat thermal energy storage system with three angled fins, the enthalpy-porosity model was used to simulate the phase-change process. To analyze the effect of the angle of inclination of the fin (θf) on the heat transfer characteristics and energy storage performance, a parametric study was performed in which θf was varied over the range −40∘≤θf≤40∘. The variation in energy storage performance according to fin angle is also analysed, in order to obtain an optimal fin angle for maximum energy storage performance for the geometric shape of interest. The results reveal that both the heat transfer characteristics and the energy storage performance are affected significantly by variations in θf. For cases where the fins are angled downwards, the upward flow is hampered, and where the fins are angled upwards, natural convection is intensified prior to the onset of thermal stratification. During the final stage of the charging process, the quantity of the remaining solid phase change material in the lower region increases, which delays the melting time. In order to evaluate the energy storage performance, the melting time, the total stored energy, and the mean power were calculated. For θf in the range −30∘≤θf≤−10∘, the energy storage performance can exceed that for the case of θf=0∘. The case of θf=−20∘ shows the best thermal energy storage performance as the average power is up to 19.3% higher than that for the case of θf=0∘ among all cases considered in present study.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 103957 |
Journal | Journal of Energy Storage |
Volume | 47 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2022 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education ( NRF-2019R1A6A3A01093980 ). Support was also provided by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government ( MSIT ) (No. 2019R1A5A8083201 ).
Keywords
- Angled fins
- Melting
- Phase change material
- Thermal energy storage
- Thermal energy storage performance