CFD Modeling of the Charging and Discharging of a Shell-and-Tube Latent Heat Storage System for High-Temperature Applications

In this study, a validated CFD model was employed for the simulation of the charging and discharging processes in a long shell-and-tube latent heat storage system suitable for high-temperature applications, such as solar thermal power generation. A shell-and-tube enclosure, having a height of 0.92m and shell inner radius of 0.0325m, was simulated. The results indicated that the effect of natural convection cannot be neglected during charging. The heat transfer rate during discharging, which is primarily dictated by conduction, is lower than that during the charging process and thus the design of such systems must be based on the discharging process. Models that neglect the effect of convection during discharging can predict the amount of heat discharged with a maximum discrepancy of 6%