Phase change heat storage in an enclosure with vertical pipe in the center

Sylvie Lorente (1) , Adrian Bejan (2) , J. L. Niu (3)

1 LMDC - Laboratoire Matériaux et Durabilité des constructions
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
3 POLYU - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University [Hong Kong]

This paper documents the fundamentals of heat storage by melting a phase-change material inside a cylindrical enclosure with a vertical heated pipe on its axis. The phenomenon is studied analytically and numerically. The analysis consists of the scale analysis of the early stages of natural convection in the liquid, and an analysis of the entire duration of the melting process. The numerical simulations cover the entire process, and validate all the features predicted by theory. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mots clés: performance; convection; Melting; Phase change material; thermal-energy storage; system; unit; Energy storage; tube; acid; Natural convection; Scale analysis

Domaines: Génie civil

Sylvie Lorente, Adrian Bejan, J. L. Niu. Phase change heat storage in an enclosure with vertical pipe in the center. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2014, 72, pp.329--335. ⟨10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2014.01.021⟩. ⟨hal-01850788⟩