139
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Numerical study of the flow and heat transfer characteristics of microencapsulated phase change slurry

ORCID Icon &
Pages 11925-11942 | Received 26 Jul 2023, Accepted 22 Sep 2023, Published online: 12 Oct 2023
 

ABSTRACT

Microencapsulated phase change material (MPC) slurry is created by combining phase change material with a carrier fluid that has superior heat transfer properties compared to ordinary water. MPC slurry is conventionally investigated as heat storage and working fluid in a variety of applications to reduce power consumption. This study numerically investigates the impact of several critical parameters on the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of MPC slurry in a circular pipe, using Eulerian–Eulerian model. The right triangle curve, one of equivalent specific heat model (ESHM), was applied to evaluate the influence of different critical variable values specified as Tin = 305 K, qwall = −125~−200 kW/m2, αv  = 0~15%, Re  = 6290~13838, and D  = 10~25 mm. The results show that increasing the velocity develops local HTC and reduce the rate of heat transformation. Phase change processing takes roughly twice as long at 1.1 m/s as at 0.5 m/s. Additionally, the results demonstrate that a high concentration of MPC slurry is advantageous for energy storage, as the temperature of MPC slurry is maintained over a considerable distance in cooling conditions. At a velocity of 0.8 m/s, the outlet bulk temperature of MPC slurry at various concentrations is 2–6 K higher than that of water. Furthermore, the evaluation reveals that the HTC was largely determined by pipe size, which was the primary factor. The findings of this study are useful for optimizing energy systems that require thermal energy management.

Nomenclatures

A=

interfacial area, m2

cp=

specific heat capacity, KJ/kg K

D=

diameter of the pipe, mm

h=

heat transfer coefficient, kW/m2 K

K=

thermal conductivity, W/m K

LH=

latent heat, J/kg

P=

pressure, Pa

Q=

heat flux, kW/m2

Re=

Reynolds number

T=

temperature, K

v=

velocity, m/s

Z=

length along the pipe, m

Subscripts =

 

b=

bulk MPC slurry

l=

liquid phase

m=

mass

p=

MPC particle

s=

solid phase

sl=

phases interaction

w=

carrier fluid (water)

Greek letters=
α=

volume fraction

μ=

viscosity, N/m2 s

ρ=

density, kg/m3

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.