The Effect of Different Configurations of Copper Structures on the Melting Flow in a Latent Heat Thermal Energy Semi-Cylindrical Unit

Mohamed Boujelbene, Amira M. Hussin, Seyed Abdollah Mansouri Mehryan () and Mohsen Sharifpur ()
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Mohamed Boujelbene: Industrial Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha’il, Ha’il 55476, Saudi Arabia
Amira M. Hussin: Department of Mathematics, Al-Aflaj College of Science and Humanities, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Aflaj 710-11912, Saudi Arabia
Seyed Abdollah Mansouri Mehryan: Young Researchers and Elite Club, Yasooj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yasooj 1987, Iran
Mohsen Sharifpur: Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa

Mathematics, 2023, vol. 11, issue 20, 1-20

Abstract: Utilizing latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) units shows promise as a potential solution for bridging the gap between energy supply and demand. While an LHTES unit benefits from the latent heat of the high-capacity phase change material (PCM) and experiences only minor temperature variations, the low thermal conductivity of PCMs hinders the rapid adoption of LHTES units by the market. In this regard, the current work aims to investigate the thermal behavior of a semi-cylindrical LHTES unit with various copper fin configurations (including horizontal, inclined, and vertical fins) on the melting flow. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that no prior studies have delved into the impact of various fin structures on the thermal performance of a semi-cylindrical LHTES system. The nano-enhanced phase change material (NePCM) fills the void within the unit. The warm water enters the semicircular channel and transfers a portion of its thermal energy to the solid NePCM through the copper separators. It is found that the system experiences the highest charging capability when the fins are mounted horizontally and close to the adiabatic upper wall. Moreover, the presence of dispersed graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) inside the pure PCM increases the charging power and temperature of the LHTES unit.

Keywords: copper fin; enthalpy–porosity technique; graphite nanoplatelet; latent heat thermal energy storage unit; melting flow; nano-enhanced phase change material; semi-cylindrical unit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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