A numerical investigation of the melting heat transfer characteristics of phase change materials in different plate heat exchanger (latent heat thermal energy storage) systems

Author(s):  
Barış GÜREL
Author(s):  
Georg Urschitz ◽  
Jens Brier ◽  
Heimo Walter ◽  
Roland Mertz ◽  
Friedrich Bleicher ◽  
...  

The use of finned tubes as enhancement method to increase the heat flow rate into a phase change material, which has in many cases a low thermal conductivity, is a common method. A highly efficient and easy-to-assemble solution for finned heat exchanger tubes is a key component for innovative thermal energy storage systems which play a key-role in electricity production and industrial heat management. In the present article the results of the investigation for different designs of bimetallic heat exchanger tubes is presented. These tube designs are developed for the use in latent heat thermal energy storage systems (LHTES) at a medium temperature range. For the use in latent heat thermal energy storage systems, the probably high pressure of the heat transfer medium and the high temperature differences between the operating temperature and the ambient temperature are challenging. Therefore, the bimetallic finned heat exchanger tube consists of a steel tube, where the heat transfer fluid flows, and an aluminum tube with longitudinal fins, which should improve the heat transfer to the phase change material. Due to different thermal expansion coefficients, displacements of the tubes are given. To guarantee a high heat transfer rate between the two connected tubes the contact between aluminum and steel plays an important role. In the present study 4 prototypes (including the new design) were designed, analyzed and compared on the connection strength. Long-term tests for simulating the application in a LHTES were done to determine the creep rupture properties of the compositions. All prototypes were tested successfully; the new design is convinced in many aspects of that challenge and is submitted to the Austrian patent office. Main advantages of the new design are the simple production and assembling compared to other analyzed prototypes. Furthermore, the new design shows the best results under the analyzed operation conditions and the layout of the geometry has a high optimization potential in terms of stresses.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (Suppl. 2) ◽  
pp. 527-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Li ◽  
Rongpeng Huang ◽  
Xinyue Miao ◽  
Xuelei Wang ◽  
Yabin Liu ◽  
...  

In order to improve the thermal performance of thermal energy storage systems, a packed bed thermal energy storage systems unit using spherical capsules filled with multiple phase change materials (multi-PCM) for use in conventional air-conditioning systems is presented. A 3-D mathematical model was established to investigate the charging characteristics of the thermal energy storage systems unit. The optimum proportion between the multi-PCM was identified. The effects of heat transfer fluid-flow rate and heat transfer fluid inlet temperature on the liquid phase change materials volume fraction, charging time and charging capacity of the thermal energy storage system unit are studied. The results indicate that the charging capacity of multi-PCM units is higher than that of the conventional single-PCM (HY-2). For proportions 0:1:0, 2:3:3, 3:2:3, 3:3:2, 4:1:3, and 4:2:2, the charging capacity decreases by approximately 24.84%, 14.69%, 6.47%, 3.82%, and 1.13%, respectively, compared to the 4:2:2 proportion. Moreover, decreasing the heat transfer fluid inlet temperature can obviously shorten the complete charging time of the thermal energy storage systems unit.


Author(s):  
Celine S. L. Lim ◽  
Ryan Weaver ◽  
Sarvenaz Sobhansarbandi

Abstract Solar water heaters (SWHs) are a well-established renewable energy technology that have been widely adopted around the world. The downfall of this technology is rooted in the inconsistency of solar intensity from day to night. In the recent studies, the application of energy storage materials such as phase change materials (PCMs) has attracted many attentions; however, PCM by itself may not be effective due to the poor heat transfer rate, low thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity. This paper aims to explore the thermal performance of energy storage-transfer materials to be applied in conjunction with PCMs. The selected types of PCMs are paraffin waxes with melting point temperatures of 28–72°C. In the first analysis, silicone oil is selected as the heat transfer medium with high thermal stability. The melting point and specific heat capacity were measured by a modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC). The obtained results show that silicone oil will lead to melting point depression of maximum 3°C in the PCMs. In the second analysis, the heat transfer enhancement by addition of nanoparticles has been investigated. The selected nanoparticles for this analysis are Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) and Cupric Oxide (CuO). The obtained results from this study show thermal performance improvement of the PCMs which can be applied to different thermal energy storage systems, such as in the case of solar thermal collectors for the application in SWH technology.


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