Analysis of Characteristics of PCM Inside Altered Design of Shell and Tube Thermal Energy Storage Unit

Abstract

Concealed heat capacity energy storage in a shell and tube configuration is renowned for their effectiveness and compact construction when contrasted with alternative power retention systems. This numerical investigation is centred on enhancing the design of an altered concealed heat storing system using shell and tube configurations, particularly during the states of melting and solidifying. The alteration includes parting the solitary internal tube towards 3 petite internal tubes organized in a linear fashion with distinct alignment. Four distinct linear array positions were examined: 0º, 30º, 60º, and 90º while maintaining consistent surface temperature, inner tube perimeter and phase change material (PCM) mass across all scenarios. The precision of the numerical model was validated through a comparison of fusing proportion silhouette and PCM temperatures with previously published analyses data. The findings suggest that the line array orientation at 0º attained the shortest cyclic duration, exhibiting a 44.4% enhancement compared to the baseline case. Conversely, the linear assortment alignment at 90º necessitated the lengthiest cyclic period, being 15.83% longer than the base instance involving a single inner tube. Significantly, it’s apparent that the linear assortment alignment has a more distinct impact on the fusing state than on the solidification phase.