Intensifying the Charging Response of a Phase-Change Material with Twisted Fin Arrays in a Shell-And-Tube Storage System

Mohammad Ghalambaz, Hayder I. Mohammed, Jasim Mahdi, Amir Hossein Eisapour, Obai Younis, Aritra Ghosh, Pouyan Talebizadehsardari and Wahiba Yaïci
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Mohammad Ghalambaz: Metamaterials for Mechanical, Biomechanical and Multiphysical Applications Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 758307, Vietnam
Hayder I. Mohammed: Department of Physics, College of Education, University of Garmian, Kurdistan, Kalar 46021, Iraq
Amir Hossein Eisapour: Department of Energy and Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 84334-71946, Iran
Obai Younis: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering at Wadi Addwaser, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Addwaser 11991, Saudi Arabia
Aritra Ghosh: Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
Pouyan Talebizadehsardari: Metamaterials for Mechanical, Biomechanical and Multiphysical Applications Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 758307, Vietnam
Wahiba Yaïci: CanmetENERGY Research Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1 Haanel Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 1M1, Canada

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: A twisted-fin array as an innovative structure for intensifying the charging response of a phase-change material (PCM) within a shell-and-tube storage system is introduced in this work. A three-dimensional model describing the thermal management with charging phase change process in PCM was developed and numerically analyzed by the enthalpy-porosity method using commercial CFD software. Efficacy of the proposed structure of fins for performing better heat communication between the active heating surface and the adjacent layers of PCM was verified via comparing with conventional longitudinal fins within the same design limitations of fin material and volume usage. Optimization of the fin geometric parameters including the pitch, number, thickness, and the height of the twisted fins for superior performance of the proposed fin structure, was also introduced via the Taguchi method. The results show that a faster charging rate, higher storage rate, and better uniformity in temperature distribution could be achieved in the PCMs with Twisted fins. Based on the design of twisted fins, it was found that the energy charging time could be reduced by up to 42%, and the energy storage rate could be enhanced up to 63% compared to the reference case of straight longitudinal fins within the same PCM mass limitations.

Keywords: thermal storage; latent heat; phase change process; melting enhancement; twisted fins (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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