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Numerical analysis of solidification of PCM in a closed vertical cylinder for thermal energy storage applications

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Abstract

The solidification dynamics of cylindrical encapsulated PCM have been analyzed under convective boundary conditions that relate to thermal energy storage systems. A three dimensional, transient CFD model has been solved for examinations. Besides the widely used conduction model of solidification, in this study, the effect of natural convection within the liquid layer has been considered in the numerical model. The effects of parameters such as the initial superheating temperature, the encapsulation size, and the heat transfer coefficient at the outer surface of the capsule have been examined in terms of solidification dynamics and extracted energy during the phase change process. It was found that while the diameter of encapsulation significantly affects the solidification and the energy extraction times, the effect of encapsulation height on the solidification and the energy extraction times are not notable.

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Abbreviations

A :

mushy zone constant

Bi :

Biot number

C p :

specific heat of the PCM [J/(kg K)]

D :

inner diameter of the tube [m]

E :

energy [J]

Gr :

Grashof number (Gr = gβ(T0-Ts)H3/ ν2)

g :

gravity [m/s2]

H :

height of the tube [m]

h :

enthalpy [J/kg

h ∞ :

external heat transfer coefficient [W/m2K]

k :

thermal conductivity [W/(m K)]]

L :

latent heat of fusion [J/kg]

m :

mass [kg]

n :

shell thickness [m]

P :

pressure [Pa]

Q :

heat transfer rate [W]

\( \dot{q} \) :

heat flux [W/m2]

Ste L :

liquid phase Stefan number (Ste = Cp(T0-Ts)/L)

T :

temperature [K]

t :

time [min]

T b :

bulk temperature [oC]

T ∞ :

free stream temperature [oC]

T m :

melting temperature [oC]

T s :

solidification temperature [oC]

T 0 :

initial temperature [oC]

V :

velocity [m/s]

β :

thermal expansion coefficient [1/K]

ρ :

density [kg/m3]

μ :

dynamic viscosity [kg/(m s)]

ν :

kinematic viscosity [m2/s]

φ :

liquid fraction

l :

latent

r :

radial direction

s :

sensible

w :

wall

θ :

angular direction

z :

axial direction

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Fund of Yozgat Bozok University [BAP 6602A-MMF/18-184].

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yozgat Bozok University, 66200, Yozgat, Turkey

    Burak Izgi & Mevlut Arslan

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  1. Burak Izgi
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Correspondence to Burak Izgi.

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Izgi, B., Arslan, M. Numerical analysis of solidification of PCM in a closed vertical cylinder for thermal energy storage applications. Heat Mass Transfer 56, 2909–2922 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-020-02911-z

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