Enhancement of the melting process in the thermal energy storage system by using novel geometry

Abstract

Latent heat thermal energy storage systems (LHTESS) store more considerable heat than sensible heat thermal energy storage systems in the same volume due to the phase change. However, latent heat storage systems suffer from low thermal conductivity. In this work, a novel geometry is used to enhance the heat transfer and reduce the melting process time in the LHTESS by increasing the interface area between the HTF and PCM. The numerical method by using ANSYS Fluent software is used to study the melting rate and the distribution of temperature, velocity, and mass fraction. Also, the convective heat transfer is considered in the melt PCM. The results show that the PCM in the novel system melts during the first 900 seconds, whereas the state-of-the-art LHTESS needs 2,700 seconds. Therefore, the required melting time for the novel system is one-third that for the currently used one.