Thermal analysis of latent heat storage system in vertical and horizontal configurations under simultaneous charging and discharging processes

The study aims to evaluate the thermal performance of a phase change material (PCM) based shell and tube heat exchanger in vertical and horizontal configurations under simultaneous charging and discharging (SCD) pro-cesses. The PCM considered is lauric acid. The influence of temperature gradient between hot and cold heat transfer fluids (HTFs), mass flow rate, and position (vertical and horizontal) on temperature, melt fraction, energy storage, and thermal transport are investigated. Numerical analysis is performed by the enthalpy porosity model. Two cases are considered to analyze the influence of the temperature gradient of the hot and cold HTFs. In case 1 the hot fluid inlet temperature is varied and the cold fluid inlet temperature is maintained constant (Delta Th), and for case 2 the cold HTF inlet temperature is varied and the hot HTF inlet temperature is maintained constant (Delta Tc). It is found that the melting process can be considerably improved for case 1 by increasing the temperature gradient. However, in case 2 by increasing the temperature gradient the influence on the melting process is not significant for horizontal but exhibited a stronger influence for vertical configuration. With the reduction of Delta Th from 53 degrees C to 33 degrees C the energy storage is noted to decrease by 50.83 % and 43.99 % in vertical and horizontal configurations. Additionally, the mass flow rates of hot and cold HTFs are observed to have less effect on thermal transport.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the thermal performance of a phase change material shell and tube heat exchanger in vertical and horizontal configurations. The results show that the temperature gradient and position have an influence on temperature, melt fraction, energy storage, and thermal transport, with a stronger effect observed in the vertical configuration.