EFFECT OF TRAPEZOIDAL FIN ON HEAT TRANSFER ENHANCEMENT IN PCM THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM: A COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH
Pragyan Priyadarsini, Sudhansu S. Sahoo, Pramod Kumar Parida, Prasanta Kumar Satapathy
Abstract
The present work focuses on heat transfer enhancement in a phase change material (PCM) kind of thermal energy storage system. The computational approach is employed for the present investigation. Rubitherm 82 has been used as PCM in a triplex tube heat exchanger having an extended surface like trapezoidal fins. The use of a trapezoidal fin in a triplex tube heat exchanger with PCM as the storage material has been considered in the present analysis. Constant temperature-type heating has been implemented at the outer and inner walls of the tubes of the heat exchanger. Both charging and discharging phenomena are analyzed. The results obtained from the computational analysis have been validated first with experimental data mentioned in the literature, and further parametric studies are carried out. Parameters such as a different base to tip ratio of the trapezoidal fin, different fin lengths, and the number of fins are considered for the heat transfer augmentation. Pure natural convection is found to be a prime driving force in the charging or melting process and conduction is key in the discharging or solidification process.