Performance analysis of PCM melting in a fin-assisted thermal energy storage system – A numerical study

The study attempts to present the melting phenomena in a Latent Heat Thermal Storage System (LHTSS) where ice is used as Phase Change Material (PCM) with fins incorporated to advance the thermal performance. The PCM-based storage system finds vast potential in addressing the imbalance between energy supply and demand. Computations are carried out to find the optimum fin number to be incorporated in Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) tube for improved heat transfer and minimum melting time. The effect of incorporating optimum fin number on different influential parameters such as HTF tube arrangement, diameter, and temperature on charging performance is evaluated. The physical phenomena occurring due to increased fin number is also explained. Criteria such as liquid fraction, mean temperature, heat transfer rate, and heat transfer coefficient are used to compare the system's performance under varying parameters. As the number of fins is augmented from 4 to 15, the generated liquid PCM is found to increase by 34.69% followed by a declination rate of 9.03% on further increment in the numbers. Geometrical alteration in the HTF tube arrangement from inline to staggered results in a better melting performance. Considering the HTF tube temperature parameter, it is found that 280 K HTF tube produces 2.08 times more liquid PCM as compared to 275 K case. Increasing HTF tube diameter is found to enhance the charging process with 20 mm diameter HTF tube system generating 2.68 times more liquid PCM as compared to that of 5 mm HTF tube.