IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v333y2023ics0306261922018335.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Energy storage performance improvement of phase change materials-based triplex-tube heat exchanger (TTHX) using liquid–solid interface-informed fin configurations

Author

Listed:
  • Palmer, Ben
  • Arshad, Adeel
  • Yang, Yan
  • Wen, Chuang

Abstract

The future of power generation is predicted to be greener with greater uptake in renewable energy which will be more intermittent and make matching demand harder. Latent thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs) could provide a solution to that problem. PCMs can store large amounts of energy in small volumes, however, the main issue is the low conductivity of PCMs, which limits the rate that energy can be stored due to the slow melting and solidification processes. In the present study, we design and optimise a flow structure-informed fin configuration for triplex-tube heat exchangers (TTHXs) that accelerates the PCM melting process to allow for faster energy storage rates. The computational fluid dynamics modelling is developed to evaluate different TTHX geometries and find the most efficient fin geometries. The results show that an optimal fin geometry can provide a 57.4 % reduction in melting time, which demonstrates that fins offer a very effective way of reducing the melting times of PCMs without taking up much volume. We also found that fins in the lower half of the PCM are more effective in reducing total melt time than fins in the upper half. It is revealed that curved fins offer better performance when compared to similar straight fins. Lastly, it is observed that horizontal or angled surfaces allow for more natural convection in TTHX. The findings can be used to inform future studies on energy storage performance improvement of PCMs.

Suggested Citation

  • Palmer, Ben & Arshad, Adeel & Yang, Yan & Wen, Chuang, 2023. "Energy storage performance improvement of phase change materials-based triplex-tube heat exchanger (TTHX) using liquid–solid interface-informed fin configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:333:y:2023:i:c:s0306261922018335
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120576
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261922018335
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120576?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pandey, Kalpana & Ali, Sana Fatima & Gupta, Sumit Kumar & Saikia, Pranaynil & Rakshit, Dibakar & Saha, Sampa, 2021. "Facile technique to encapsulate phase change material in an amphiphilic polymeric matrix for thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    2. Zhang, Ji & Cao, Zhi & Huang, Sheng & Huang, Xiaohui & Liang, Kun & Yang, Yan & Zhang, Haoran & Tian, Mi & Akrami, Mohammad & Wen, Chuang, 2022. "Improving the melting performance of phase change materials using novel fins and nanoparticles in tubular energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    3. Mahdi, Jasim M. & Nsofor, Emmanuel C., 2017. "Melting enhancement in triplex-tube latent heat energy storage system using nanoparticles-metal foam combination," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 22-34.
    4. Mohammad Ghalambaz & Hayder I. Mohammed & Jasim M. Mahdi & Amir Hossein Eisapour & Obai Younis & Aritra Ghosh & Pouyan Talebizadehsardari & Wahiba Yaïci, 2021. "Intensifying the Charging Response of a Phase-Change Material with Twisted Fin Arrays in a Shell-And-Tube Storage System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Yan, Peiliang & Fan, Weijun & Yang, Yan & Ding, Hongbing & Arshad, Adeel & Wen, Chuang, 2022. "Performance enhancement of phase change materials in triplex-tube latent heat energy storage system using novel fin configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    6. Nejat, Payam & Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Gohari, Mohammad & Abd. Majid, Muhd Zaimi, 2015. "A global review of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and policy in the residential sector (with an overview of the top ten CO2 emitting countries)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 843-862.
    7. Kishore, Ravi Anant & Bianchi, Marcus V.A. & Booten, Chuck & Vidal, Judith & Jackson, Roderick, 2021. "Enhancing building energy performance by effectively using phase change material and dynamic insulation in walls," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    8. Sun, Xiaoqin & Lin, Yian & Zhu, Ziyang & Li, Jie, 2022. "Optimized design of a distributed photovoltaic system in a building with phase change materials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    9. Hlanze, Philani & Elhefny, Aly & Jiang, Zhimin & Cai, Jie & Shabgard, Hamidreza, 2022. "In-duct phase change material-based energy storage to enhance building demand flexibility," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    10. Al-Yasiri, Qudama & Szabó, Márta, 2022. "Energetic and thermal comfort assessment of phase change material passively incorporated building envelope in severe hot Climate: An experimental study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    11. Sciacovelli, A. & Gagliardi, F. & Verda, V., 2015. "Maximization of performance of a PCM latent heat storage system with innovative fins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 707-715.
    12. Mahdi, Jasim M. & Nsofor, Emmanuel C., 2017. "Solidification enhancement in a triplex-tube latent heat energy storage system using nanoparticles-metal foam combination," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 501-512.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yan, Peiliang & Fan, Weijun & Han, Yu & Ding, Hongbing & Wen, Chuang & Elbarghthi, Anas F.A. & Yang, Yan, 2023. "Leaf-vein bionic fin configurations for enhanced thermal energy storage performance of phase change materials in smart heating and cooling systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    2. Zhang, Ji & Cao, Zhi & Huang, Sheng & Huang, Xiaohui & Han, Yu & Wen, Chuang & Honoré Walther, Jens & Yang, Yan, 2023. "Solidification performance improvement of phase change materials for latent heat thermal energy storage using novel branch-structured fins and nanoparticles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    3. Dai, Hui & Zhou, Shaobin & Li, Xuefang & Niu, Pingping & He, Suoying & Wang, Wenlong & Gao, Ming, 2024. "Charging and discharging performances investigation for a vertical triplex-tube heat exchanger with a tapered configuration and reverse layout," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yan, Peiliang & Fan, Weijun & Han, Yu & Ding, Hongbing & Wen, Chuang & Elbarghthi, Anas F.A. & Yang, Yan, 2023. "Leaf-vein bionic fin configurations for enhanced thermal energy storage performance of phase change materials in smart heating and cooling systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    2. Yan, Peiliang & Fan, Weijun & Yang, Yan & Ding, Hongbing & Arshad, Adeel & Wen, Chuang, 2022. "Performance enhancement of phase change materials in triplex-tube latent heat energy storage system using novel fin configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    3. Xinguo Sun & Jasim M. Mahdi & Hayder I. Mohammed & Hasan Sh. Majdi & Wang Zixiong & Pouyan Talebizadehsardari, 2021. "Solidification Enhancement in a Triple-Tube Latent Heat Energy Storage System Using Twisted Fins," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-23, November.
    4. Zhang, Ji & Cao, Zhi & Huang, Sheng & Huang, Xiaohui & Han, Yu & Wen, Chuang & Honoré Walther, Jens & Yang, Yan, 2023. "Solidification performance improvement of phase change materials for latent heat thermal energy storage using novel branch-structured fins and nanoparticles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    5. Mohammad Ghalambaz & Hayder I. Mohammed & Jasim M. Mahdi & Amir Hossein Eisapour & Obai Younis & Aritra Ghosh & Pouyan Talebizadehsardari & Wahiba Yaïci, 2021. "Intensifying the Charging Response of a Phase-Change Material with Twisted Fin Arrays in a Shell-And-Tube Storage System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    6. Fei Ma & Tianji Zhu & Yalin Zhang & Xinli Lu & Wei Zhang & Feng Ma, 2023. "A Review on Heat Transfer Enhancement of Phase Change Materials Using Fin Tubes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-25, January.
    7. Huang, Xinyu & Li, Fangfei & Xiao, Tian & Guo, Junfei & Wang, Fan & Gao, Xinyu & Yang, Xiaohu & He, Ya-Ling, 2023. "Investigation and optimization of solidification performance of a triplex-tube latent heat thermal energy storage system by rotational mechanism," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    8. Ge, Ruihuan & Li, Qi & Li, Chuan & Liu, Qing, 2022. "Evaluation of different melting performance enhancement structures in a shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 829-843.
    9. Mohammad Javad Zarei & Hassan Bazai & Mohsen Sharifpur & Omid Mahian & Bahman Shabani, 2020. "The Effects of Fin Parameters on the Solidification of PCMs in a Fin-Enhanced Thermal Energy Storage System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, January.
    10. Qu, Xiaohang & Jiang, Shan & Qi, Xiaoni, 2022. "Experimental investigation on performance improvement of latent heat storage capsule by oscillating movement," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 316(C).
    11. Wang, Haoran & Ran, Xiaofeng & Zhong, Yajuan & Lu, Linyuan & Lin, Jun & He, Gang & Wang, Liang & Dai, Zhimin, 2022. "Ternary chloride salt–porous ceramic composite as a high-temperature phase change material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PB).
    12. Shahsavar, Amin & Al-Rashed, Abdullah A.A.A. & Entezari, Sajad & Sardari, Pouyan Talebizadeh, 2019. "Melting and solidification characteristics of a double-pipe latent heat storage system with sinusoidal wavy channels embedded in a porous medium," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 751-769.
    13. Vengadesan, Elumalai & Senthil, Ramalingam, 2020. "A review on recent developments in thermal performance enhancement methods of flat plate solar air collector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    14. Diao, Yanhua & Kang, Yameng & Liang, Lin & Zhao, Yaohua & Zhu, Tingting, 2017. "Experimental investigation on the heat transfer performance of a latent thermal energy storage device based on flat miniature heat pipe arrays," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 929-941.
    15. Kumar, Ashish & Saha, Sandip K., 2020. "Experimental and numerical study of latent heat thermal energy storage with high porosity metal matrix under intermittent heat loads," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    16. Choi, Sung Ho & Ko, Han Seo & Sohn, Dong Kee, 2022. "Bubble-driven flow enhancement of heat discharge of latent heat thermal energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PB).
    17. Xiao, Xin & Jia, Hongwei & Wen, Dongsheng & Zhao, Xudong, 2020. "Thermal performance analysis of a solar energy storage unit encapsulated with HITEC salt/copper foam/nanoparticles composite," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    18. Choi, Sung Ho & Sohn, Dong Kee & Ko, Han Seo, 2021. "Performance enhancement of latent heat thermal energy storage by bubble-driven flow," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    19. Parsazadeh, Mohammad & Duan, Xili, 2018. "Numerical study on the effects of fins and nanoparticles in a shell and tube phase change thermal energy storage unit," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 142-156.
    20. Park, Jinsoo & Choi, Sung Ho & Karng, Sarng Woo, 2021. "Cascaded latent thermal energy storage using a charging control method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:333:y:2023:i:c:s0306261922018335. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.