Studying the performance of phase change heat storage enhanced by ultrasonic energy

The ultrasonic wave could propagate in elastic media and bring ultrasonic flow which could effectively strengthen the convective heat transfer. Thus, various research works have been carried out on the enhancement effect for its potential future application. This work studied the influence of the acoustic flow effect on the melting process of phase change material. For the first, the influence of ultrasonic acting position on enhancement effect was examined. Then, the effectiveness of ultrasonic energy on enhancing heat storage process was discussed. The present work was also compared with other representative studies. The results show that when the side surface of the container is a constant temperature heating surface, the ultrasonic vibration surface at the bottom of the container has best melting performance of phase change heat storage. Then, a new evaluation method of heat transfer enhancement was proposed. The new method cannot only measure the improvement of melting performance, but also clearly measure the relationship between the improvement of melting performance and the consumption of ultrasonic energy. Finally, by contrast and analysis with representative studies, the development potential and further research direction of ultrasonic enhanced phase change heat storage are clarified. This work can provide reference for the further application of active heat transfer enhancement technology in the field of phase change heat storage.

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of the acoustic flow effect on the melting process of phase change material. The position of ultrasonic actuation and the energy of ultrasonic wave on heat storage process enhancement were studied. The results show that the bottom surface of the container with ultrasonic vibration performs the best melting performance for phase change heat storage.