Thermal performance enhancement of shell and tube Latent Heat Storage Unit using longitudinal fins

Latent Heat Storage Unit (LHSU) employing Phase Change Materials (PCMs) is an effective means of thermal energy storage for solar applications. The practical use of such energy storage unit is however limited by the low thermal conductivity of the available PCMs. Significant augmentation in the heat transfer rate of PCMs is possible by installation of longitudinal fins. The augmentation in heat transfer for a shell and tube type LHSU is estimated by carrying out experimental analysis with three longitudinal fins installed on the heat transfer fluid (HTF) tube. The heat transfer augmentation is established in terms of melting and solidification time for varying fluid inlet temperatures and flow rates of heat transfer fluid (HTF). Experimental results show that the heat transfer augmentation is more sensitive to increase in HTF inlet temperature as compared to increase in mass flow rate of HTF. Solidification time has been observed to reduce up to 43.6% by installation of three fins. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.