Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer Behaviours of Melting Process for Ice Thermal Storage Based on Various Heat Source Configurations

Chunwei Zhang, Dongdong Chai, Yubin Fan, Wenyun Zhang, Meng Yu, Zhenwu Wang () and Long Jiang ()
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Chunwei Zhang: Beijing Institute of Aerospace Testing Technology, Beijing 100074, China
Dongdong Chai: Beijing Institute of Aerospace Testing Technology, Beijing 100074, China
Yubin Fan: Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Wenyun Zhang: Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Meng Yu: Special Equipment Safety Supervision Inspection Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210036, China
Zhenwu Wang: The School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Jinggangshan University, Jinggangshan 343009, China
Long Jiang: Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Ice thermal storage (ITS) performance for cooling systems is greatly influenced by the poor thermal conductivity of phase change material (PCM). The effect of natural convection on the melting process is significant for heat transfer enhancement. Thus, the melting performance of PCM in a shell-and-tube latent heat storage (STLHS) unit is numerically studied by considering natural convection in terms of various heat source positions and configurations, i.e., central position, eccentric position, and flat-tube type. Temperature distribution, melting time, and the overall heat transfer coefficient during the process are investigated. The results show that the circulation vortex formed by natural convection is a dominant factor that affects melting front evolution and the overall heat transfer coefficient. When input heat flux is relatively weak, PCM below the heat source is liquefied first. In contrast, PCM in the upper part melts earlier when the heat flux is excellent. The overall heat transfer coefficient decreases sharply with the increase in melting time in the early stage. Then, the heat transfer coefficient tends to be constant. PCM in an STLHS unit with a heat source in a lower position and a configuration of vertical flat-tube type has a desirable performance when compared with other cases, which could provide good support for ITS application.

Keywords: ice thermal storage; natural convection; heat flow density; density inversion (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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