Authors : Chang Ren Chen and Atul Sharma
Abstract: Theoretical investigations of Phase Change Material (PCMs) for energy storage system have been conducted in this study. The selected PCMs were Cacl2.6H2O, Na2SO4.10H2O, n-Octadecane, paraffin wax, lauric acid and stearic acid. For the two-dimensional simulation model based on the enthalpy approach, calculations have been made for the melt fraction with conduction only. Glass, stainless steel, tin, aluminium mixed, aluminium and copper were used as heat exchanger materials in the numerical calculations. Theoretical results show that the paraffin wax has good compatibility with latent heat storage system. The large value of thermal conductivity of heat exchanger container material did not make significant contribution on the melt fraction except for at very low thermal conductivities. Numerical results also showed that the effect of thickness of container material on melt fraction is in significant. It is also found that initial temperature of the PCM does not have very important effects on the melting time, while the boundary wall temperature play an important role during melting and has a strong effect on melt fraction.
Chang Ren Chen and Atul Sharma , 2006. Numerical Investigation of Melt Fraction of PCMs in a Latent Heat Storage System . Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 1: 437-444.