Evaluation of Melting Mechanism and Natural Convection Effect in a Triplex Tube Heat Storage System with a Novel Fin Arrangement

Farqad T. Najim, Sami Kaplan (), Hayder I. Mohammed, Anmar Dulaimi, Azher M. Abed, Raed Khalid Ibrahem, Fadhil Abbas Al-Qrimli, Mustafa Z. Mahmoud, Jan Awrejcewicz and Witold Pawłowski
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Farqad T. Najim: Electrical Engineering Department, Al-Iraqia University, Baghdad 10071, Iraq
Sami Kaplan: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ege University, Izmir 35100, Turkey
Hayder I. Mohammed: Department of Physics, College of Education, University of Garmian, Kurdistan, Kalar 46021, Iraq
Anmar Dulaimi: College of Engineering, University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Karbala 56001, Iraq
Azher M. Abed: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Techniques Engineering Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon 51001, Iraq
Raed Khalid Ibrahem: Department of Medical Instrumentation Engineering Techniques, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad 10015, Iraq
Fadhil Abbas Al-Qrimli: College of Engineering, Uruk University, Baghdad 10069, Iraq
Mustafa Z. Mahmoud: Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
Jan Awrejcewicz: Department of Automation, Biomechanics and Mechatronics, Lodz University of Technology, 90-537 Lodz, Poland
Witold Pawłowski: Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90-537 Lodz, Poland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-34

Abstract: In this research, a numerical analysis is accomplished aiming to investigate the effects of adding a new design fins arrangement to a vertical triplex tube latent heat storage system during the melting mechanism and evaluate the natural convection effect using Ansys Fluent software. In the triplex tube, phase change material (PCM) is included in the middle tube, while the heat transfer fluid (HTF) flows through the interior and exterior pipes. The proposed fins are triangular fins attached to the pipe inside the PCM domain in two different ways: (1) the base of the triangular fins is connected to the pipe, (2) the tip of the triangular fins is attached to the pipe and the base part is directed to the PCM domain. The height of the fins is calculated to have a volume equal to that of the uniform rectangular fins. Three different cases are considered as the final evaluation toward the best case as follows: (1) the uniform fin case (case 3), (2) the reverse triangular fin case with a constant base (case 12), (3) the reverse triangular fin case with a constant height (case 13). The numerical results show that the total melting times for cases 3 and 12 increase by 4.0 and 10.1%, respectively, compared with that for case 13. Since the PCM at the bottom of the heat storage unit melts slower due to the natural convection effect, a flat fin is added to the bottom of the heat storage unit for the best case compared with the uniform fin cases. Furthermore, the heat storage rates for cases 3 and 12 are reduced by 4.5 and 8.5%, respectively, compared with that for case 13, which is selected as the best case due to having the lowest melting time (1978s) and the highest heat storage rate (81.5 W). The general outcome of this research reveals that utilizing the tringle fins enhances the thermal performance and the phase change rate.

Keywords: thermal energy storage; phase change process; triangular fin; vertical heat exchanger; heat transfer enhancement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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