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On the Melting Process of the Phase Change Material in Horizontal Rectangular Enclosures

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  • Juan Duan

    (Department of Mechanics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
    Hubei Key Laboratory of Engineering Structural Analysis and Safety Assessment, Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Yongliang Xiong

    (Department of Mechanics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
    Hubei Key Laboratory of Engineering Structural Analysis and Safety Assessment, Luoyu Road 1037, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Dan Yang

    (School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China)

Abstract

Phase change material (PCM) is one of the most important ways to store and manage energy. The melting process of PCM in a rectangular enclosure with the different aspect ratio is frequently related to some thermal energy storage devices. In this work, the melting of PCM in the horizontal rectangular enclosures heated from the different sides and the influence of aspect ratio of the rectangle are carefully studied. The enthalpy porosity technique and the finite volume method (FVM) are used to simulate the melting process numerically. The results show that the melting process of PCM can be dominated by conduction or natural convection due to the different heated sides. The melting of PCM in the enclosure heated from the bottom side is firstly affected by conduction and then mostly influenced by convection. In addition, the aspect ratio of the rectangular enclosure is found to play an important role in the melting process. Finally, a series of fitting correlations of the liquid fraction, Nusselt number and the energy storage are presented with the influence of aspect ratios in order to provide the reference for designing the rectangular container of PCM. This study is helpful for the selection of an appropriate aspect ratio and heating method to achieve the desired energy storage performance of encapsulated PCM.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Duan & Yongliang Xiong & Dan Yang, 2019. "On the Melting Process of the Phase Change Material in Horizontal Rectangular Enclosures," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:16:p:3100-:d:257018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Agnieszka Ochman & Wei-Qin Chen & Przemysław Błasiak & Michał Pomorski & Sławomir Pietrowicz, 2021. "The Use of Capsuled Paraffin Wax in Low-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage Applications: An Experimental and Numerical Investigation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-27, January.
    4. Francesco Fornarelli & Lorenzo Dambrosio & Sergio Mario Camporeale & Luigi Terlizzi, 2023. "Novel Multi-Objective Optimal Design of a Shell-and-Tube Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Device," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Ewelina Radomska & Lukasz Mika & Karol Sztekler & Lukasz Lis, 2020. "The Impact of Heat Exchangers’ Constructions on the Melting and Solidification Time of Phase Change Materials," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-44, September.

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