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Evaluation and Optimization of the Thermal Storage Performance of a Triplex-Tube Thermal Energy Storage System with V-Shaped Fins

  • Special Column: Convergence of Carbon Neutral Transition via Energy Storage Technologies
  • Published:
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Abstract

Adding fins to a shell-and-tube phase change thermal storage is a simple and effective way to enhance the performance of the phase change heat storage unit, and the proper arrangement of the fins is essential to enhance the performance of the storage unit. To enhance the performance of the triplex-tube thermal storage unit, a novel V-shaped fin structure is presented in this paper. And the heat storage performance of the thermal storage system is studied by numerical simulation. Firstly, the performance of the triplex-tube thermal energy storage unit with different arrangements of V-shaped fins is investigated by a two-dimensional model and compared with the use of the traditional rectangular fin structure, and the optimal fin arrangement is derived. The results show that the V-shaped fins with the optimal arrangement can decrease the time for the PCM melting in the heat storage unit by 31.92% compared to the conventional rectangular fins. On this basis, the influence of fin angle and thickness on the heat storage unit was studied. Then, a three-dimensional model of the thermal storage unit was established. And the effect of the flow parameters (inlet temperature, inlet flow rate) of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) on its performance was discussed in detail. Finally, the stored energy analysis of the whole thermal storage unit is carried out.

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Abbreviations

A Mush :

mushy region constant/kg·(m3 ·s)−1

C p :

specific heat/J·(kg·K)−1

g :

acceleration due to gravity/m·s−2

H :

enthalpy/J·kg−1

ΔH :

latent heat enthalpy

HTF:

heat transfer fluid

h :

sensible enthalpy

I :

V-shaped fin length/mm

L :

latent heat of fusion/J·kg−1

LHTES:

latent heat thermal energy storage

m :

mass/kg

n :

normal vector

P :

pressure/Pa

PCM:

phase change material

Q :

heat/J

q m :

mass flow rate/kg·s−1

R 1 :

TTES unit inner tube radius/mm

R 2 :

TTES unit middle tube radius/mm

\(\overrightarrow{S}\) :

source term

TTES:

triplex-tube thermal energy storage

T :

temperature/K

t :

time/s

\(\overrightarrow{V}\) :

velocity vector

W r :

V-shaped fin thickness/mm

α :

thermal-expansion coefficient/K−1

β :

V-shaped fin angle/(°)

ε :

a small constant

θ :

liquid fraction

λ :

thermal conductivity /W·(m·K)−1

μ :

dynamic viscosity/kg·(m·s)−1

ρ :

density /kg·m−3

Ψ :

interface between the HTF and tube’s walls

Ω :

interface between fin and PCM

inlet:

inlet HTF state

ini:

initial

l:

liquid

s:

solid

tot:

total

lat:

latent

sen:

sensible

ref:

reference

w:

wall

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212100, China

    Shouguang Yao, Min Zuo & Xinyu Huang

Authors
  1. Shouguang Yao
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  2. Min Zuo
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  3. Xinyu Huang
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Correspondence to Shouguang Yao.

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Yao, S., Zuo, M. & Huang, X. Evaluation and Optimization of the Thermal Storage Performance of a Triplex-Tube Thermal Energy Storage System with V-Shaped Fins. J. Therm. Sci. 32, 2048–2064 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-023-1795-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-023-1795-x

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