IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i21p5243-d1503740.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Numerical Investigation of Solar Collector Performance with Encapsulated PCM: A Transient, 3D Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Malik Adnan Faisal

    (Ministry of Electricity, Hilla 51001, Iraq)

  • Amin Rahmani

    (Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PJ, UK)

  • Mohammad Akrami

    (Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4PJ, UK)

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation into the thermal performance of solar collectors integrated with encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) using a transient three-dimensional (3D) approach. The performance of two distinct PCMs—paraffin wax and RT60—was evaluated under varying operational conditions, including seasonal variations, inlet pipe velocities, and inlet temperatures. The results indicate that paraffin wax exhibits a higher peak temperature, reaching approximately 360 K, compared to RT60’s peak of 345 K, making paraffin wax more effective for consistent thermal energy storage. Paraffin wax also maintained higher fluid fractions, with a maximum of 0.9 in summer, indicating superior heat absorption and retention capabilities. In contrast, RT60 demonstrated a quicker phase transition, fully liquefying at a lower fluid fraction, which is advantageous for rapid heat release. Seasonal variations significantly impacted system efficiency, with the highest efficiency observed in June at 365 K and the lowest in December at 340 K. The study also found that lower inlet velocities (e.g., 0.25 L/s) significantly improved heat retention, resulting in higher outlet temperatures, while increasing the inlet temperature from 290 K to 310 K led to a marked increase in outlet temperatures throughout the day. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing PCM selection, inlet velocity, and temperature in enhancing the performance of solar thermal systems, offering quantitative insights that contribute to the development of more efficient and reliable renewable energy solutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Malik Adnan Faisal & Amin Rahmani & Mohammad Akrami, 2024. "Numerical Investigation of Solar Collector Performance with Encapsulated PCM: A Transient, 3D Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-19, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:21:p:5243-:d:1503740
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/21/5243/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/21/5243/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Amin Rahmani & Mahdieh Dibaj & Mohammad Akrami, 2024. "Enhancing Heat Storage Cooling Systems via the Implementation of Honeycomb-Inspired Design: Investigating Efficiency and Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-24, January.
    2. Maha Rahman Rahi & Saba Ostadi & Amin Rahmani & Mahdieh Dibaj & Mohammad Akrami, 2024. "Studying the Improvement of Solar Collector Mechanism with Phase Change Materials," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-22, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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.

      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:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:21:p:5243-:d:1503740. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

      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.