Performance enhancement of a latent heat thermal energy storage system by using annular fins: A numerical study

OpenAlex İngilizce

The paper investigates the effects of annular fins and different phase change material thickness (t pcm ) on the thermal performance and charge/discharge times of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems. It compares liquefaction and solidification times for both low- and high-temperature PCMs. Four cases were experimentally tested under discharge conditions with inlet water temperatures of 15°C and 25°C, and mass flow rates of 0.005 and 0.01 kg/s. During charging, inlet temperatures were maintained at 70°C and 80°C. The findings indicate that the introduction of fins greatly enhances system performance. For instance, solid fraction values rose by as much as 551.4% in systems with PCM-2 and a 30 mm t pcm . Outlet water temperature was enhanced by 40.13%, 23.49%, 27.87%, and 16.15% in the four cases. Heat transfer during discharge was enhanced by as much as 150.54% for PCM-1 and 100.4% for PCM-2. Fins also reduced charging times, decreasing from 70,000 to 66,825 s and from 67,891 to 64,877 s in systems with PCM-2. Heat transfer during charging was enhanced by up to 17.7% in systems with PCM-1. The paper identifies fins as an effective LHTES system enhancement technique.