Publication Cover
Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications
An International Journal of Computation and Methodology
Volume 84, 2023 - Issue 8
171
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Articles

Structural optimization of a latent heat storage unit with the fractal fin

, , &
Pages 921-939 | Received 19 Aug 2022, Accepted 30 Dec 2022, Published online: 13 Mar 2023
 

Abstract

The fractal structure was applied to the fin optimization of latent heat storage (LHS) technology based on the fractal principle. By numerical simulation, the performances of LHS units with fractal tree-shaped fins were compared with those with traditional plate fins, and the effects of fin structure parameters based on the fractal principle on heat storage and release performances were studied. The results show that the heat storage performance and heat release performance of LHS units with fractal tree-shaped fins are clearly improved, and the optimal fractal structure parameters allow the LHS units to achieve optimal performance. A nonlinear surface fitting function method was used to obtain the functional relation between the branching angle and length index and the heat storage time of the LHS unit. In fractal tree-shaped fins, the optimal length index is 1.141, the optimal width ratio is 1, and the branching angle is 73.55°. In comparison to the LHS unit with traditional plate fins, the LHS unit with the optimum fractal structure parameters has a 35.85% faster melting rate and a 63.39% faster heat release rate. The least entransy dissipation, least thermal resistance and best reversibility are all characteristics of the LHS unit with the optimal fractal structure parameters.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest exists in the submission of this manuscript, and the manuscript is approved by all authors for publication. I would like to declare on behalf of my coauthors that the work described was original research that has not been published previously, and not under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All the authors listed have approved the manuscript that is enclosed.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of P.R. China under grants number 51306120 and 51736007, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer in Power Engineering and the Science Development Project of the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, are gratefully acknowledged.

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.