Investigation of the Dynamic Melting Process in a Thermal Energy Storage Unit Using a Helical Coil Heat Exchanger

Xun Yang, Teng Xiong, Jing Liang Dong, Wen Xin Li and Yong Wang
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Xun Yang: National Centre for International Research of Low-Carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science & Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Teng Xiong: National Centre for International Research of Low-Carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science & Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Jing Liang Dong: National Centre for International Research of Low-Carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science & Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Wen Xin Li: National Centre for International Research of Low-Carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science & Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Yong Wang: National Centre for International Research of Low-Carbon and Green Buildings, Ministry of Science & Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: In this study, the dynamic melting process of the phase change material (PCM) in a vertical cylindrical tube-in-tank thermal energy storage (TES) unit was investigated through numerical simulations and experimental measurements. To ensure good heat exchange performance, a concentric helical coil was inserted into the TES unit to pipe the heat transfer fluid (HTF). A numerical model using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was developed based on the enthalpy-porosity method to simulate the unsteady melting process including temperature and liquid fraction variations. Temperature measurements using evenly spaced thermocouples were conducted, and the temperature variation at three locations inside the TES unit was recorded. The effects of the HTF inlet parameters were investigated by parametric studies with different temperatures and flow rate values. Reasonably good agreement was achieved between the numerical prediction and the temperature measurement, which confirmed the numerical simulation accuracy. The numerical results showed the significance of buoyancy effect for the dynamic melting process. The system TES performance was very sensitive to the HTF inlet temperature. By contrast, no apparent influences can be found when changing the HTF flow rates. This study provides a comprehensive solution to investigate the heat exchange process of the TES system using PCM.

Keywords: thermal energy storage; helical coil heat exchanger; phase change material; heat transfer fluid; CFD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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