Effect of Twisted Fin Array in a Triple-Tube Latent Heat Storage System during the Charging Mode

Mohammad Ghalambaz, Jasim Mahdi, Amirhossein Shafaghat, Amir Hossein Eisapour, Obai Younis, Pouyan Talebizadeh Sardari 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
Amirhossein Shafaghat: Department of Energy and Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7193616548, Iran
Amir Hossein Eisapour: Department of Energy and Aerospace Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 7193616548, Iran
Obai Younis: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering at Wadi Addwaser, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Addwaser 11991, Saudi Arabia
Pouyan Talebizadeh Sardari: Faculty of Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Wahiba Yaïci: CanmetENERGY Research Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1 Haanel Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 1M1, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: This study aims to assess the effect of adding twisted fins in a triple-tube heat exchanger used for latent heat storage compared with using straight fins and no fins. In the proposed heat exchanger, phase change material (PCM) is placed between the middle annulus while hot water is passed in the inner tube and outer annulus in a counter-current direction, as a superior method to melt the PCM and store the thermal energy. The behavior of the system was assessed regarding the liquid fraction and temperature distributions as well as charging time and energy storage rate. The results indicate the advantages of adding twisted fins compared with those of using straight fins. The effect of several twisted fins was also studied to discover its effectiveness on the melting rate. The results demonstrate that deployment of four twisted fins reduced the melting time by 18% compared with using the same number of straight fins, and 25% compared with the no-fins case considering a similar PCM mass. Moreover, the melting time for the case of using four straight fins was 8.3% lower than that compared with the no-fins case. By raising the fins’ number from two to four and six, the heat storage rate rose 14.2% and 25.4%, respectively. This study presents the effects of novel configurations of fins in PCM-based thermal energy storage to deliver innovative products toward commercialization, which can be manufactured with additive manufacturing.

Keywords: triple-tube heat exchanger; phase change material; thermal energy storage; latent heat; twisted fin array; heat transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (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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