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Employing phase-change materials (PCM) is considered a very efficient and cost-effective option for addressing the mismatch between the energy supply and the demand. The high storage density, little temperature degradation, and ease of material processing register the PCM as a key candidate for the thermal energy storage system. However, the sluggish response rates during their melting and solidification processes limit their applications and consequently require the inclusion of heat transfer enhancers. This research aims to investigate the potential enhancement of circular fins on intensifying the PCM thermal response in a vertical triple-tube casing. Fin arrays of non-uniform dimensions and distinct distribution patterns were designed and investigated to determine the impact of modifying the fin geometric characteristics and distribution patterns in various spatial zones of the heat exchanger. Parametric analysis on the various fin structures under consideration was carried out to determine the most optimal fin structure from the perspective of the transient melting evolution and heat storage rates while maintaining the same design limitations of fin material and volume usage. The results revealed that changing the fin dimensions with the heat-flow direction results in a faster charging rate, a higher storage rate, and a more uniform temperature distribution when compared to a uniform fin size. The time required to fully charge the storage system (fully melting of the PCM) was found to be reduced by up to 10.4%, and the heat storage rate can be improved by up to 9.3% compared to the reference case of uniform fin sizes within the same fin volume limitations.

The melting duration in the photovoltaic/phase-change material (PV/PCM) system is a crucial parameter for thermal energy management such that its improvement can realize better energy management in respect to thermal storage capabilities, thermal conditions, and the lifespan of PV modules. An innovative and efficient technique for improving the melting duration is the inclusion of an exterior metal foam layer in the PV/PCM system. For detailed investigations of utilizing different metal foam configurations in terms of their convective heat transfer coefficients, the present paper proposes a newly developed mathematical model for the PV/PCM–metal foam assembly that can readily be implemented with a wide range of operating conditions. Both computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and experimental validations proved the good accuracy of the proposed model for further applications. The present research found that the average PV cell temperature can be reduced by about 12 °C with a corresponding improvement in PCM melting duration of 127%. The addition of the metal foam is more effective at low solar radiation, ambient temperatures far below the PCM solidus temperature, and high wind speeds in nonlinear extension. With increasing of tilt angle, the PCM melting duration is linearly decreased by an average value of (13.4–25.0)% when the metal foam convective heat transfer coefficient is changed in the range of (0.5–20) W/m2.K. The present research also shows that the PCM thickness has a positive linear effect on the PCM melting duration, however, modifying the metal foam configuration from 0.5 to 20 W/m2.K has an effect on the PCM melting duration in such a way that the average PCM melting duration is doubled. This confirms the effectiveness of the inclusion of metal foam in the PV/PCM system.

Due to the potential cost saving and minimal temperature stratification, the energy storage based on phase-change materials (PCMs) can be a reliable approach for decoupling energy demand from immediate supply availability. However, due to their high heat resistance, these materials necessitate the introduction of enhancing additives, such as expanded surfaces and fins, to enable their deployment in more widespread thermal and energy storage applications. This study reports on how circular fins with staggered distribution and variable orientations can be employed for addressing the low thermal response rates in a PCM (Paraffin RT-35) triple-tube heat exchanger consisting of two heat-transfer fluids flow in opposites directions through the inner and the outer tubes. Various configurations, dimensions, and orientations of the circular fins at different flow conditions of the heat-transfer fluid were numerically examined and optimized using an experimentally validated computational fluid-dynamic model. The results show that the melting rate, compared with the base case of finless, can be improved by 88% and the heat charging rate by 34%, when the fin orientation is downward–upward along the left side and the right side of the PCM shell. The results also show that there is a benefit if longer fins with smaller thicknesses are adopted in the vertical direction of the storage unit. This benefit helps natural convection to play a greater role, resulting in higher melting rates. Changing the fins’ dimensions from (thickness × length) 2 × 7.071 mm2 to 0.55 × 25.76 mm2 decreases the melting time by 22% and increases the heat charging rate by 9.6%. This study has also confirmed the importance of selecting the suitable values of Reynolds numbers and the inlet temperatures of the heat-transfer fluid for optimizing the melting enhancement potential of circular fins with downward–upward fin orientations.

Thermal energy storage is an important component in energy units to decrease the gap between energy supply and demand. Free convection and the locations of the tubes carrying the heat-transfer fluid (HTF) have a significant influence on both the energy discharging potential and the buoyancy effect during the solidification mode. In the present study, the impact of the tube position was examined during the discharging process. Liquid-fraction evolution and energy removal rate with thermo-fluid contour profiles were used to examine the performance of the unit. Heat exchanger tubes are proposed with different numbers and positions in the unit for various cases including uniform and non-uniform tubes distribution. The results show that moving the HTF tubes to medium positions along the vertical direction is relatively better for enhancing the solidification of PCM with multiple HTF tubes. Repositioning of the HTF tubes on the left side of the unit can slightly improve the heat removal rate by about 0.2 in the case of p5-u-1 and decreases by 1.6% in the case of p5-u-2. It was found also that increasing the distance between the tubes in the vertical direction has a detrimental effect on the PCM solidification mode. Replacing the HTF tubes on the left side of the unit negatively reduces the heat removal rate by about 1.2 and 4.4%, respectively. Further, decreasing the HTF temperature from 15 °C to 10 and 5 °C can increase the heat removal rate by around 7 and 16%, respectively. This paper indicates that the specific concern to the HTF tube arrangement should be made to improve the discharging process attending free convection impact in phase change heat storage.

Inherent fluctuations in the availability of energy from renewables, particularly solar, remain a substantial impediment to their widespread deployment worldwide. Employing phase-change materials (PCMs) as media, saving energy for later consumption, offers a promising solution for overcoming the problem. However, the heat conductivities of most PCMs are limited, which severely limits the energy storage potential of these materials. This study suggests employing circular fins with staggered distribution to achieve improved thermal response rates of PCM in a vertical triple-tube heat exchanger involving two opposite flow streams of the heat-transfer fluid (HTF). Since heat diffusion is not the same at various portions of the PCM unit, different fin configurations, fin dimensions and HTF flow boundary conditions were explored using computational studies of melting in the PCM triple-tube system. Staggered configuration of fin distribution resulted in significant increases in the rates of PCM melting. The results indicate that the melting rate and heat charging rate could be increased by 37.2 and 59.1%, respectively, in the case of staggered distribution. Furthermore, the use of lengthy fins with smaller thickness in the vertical direction of the storage unit resulted in a better positive role of natural convection; thus, faster melting rates were achieved. With fin dimensions of 0.666 mm × 15 mm, the melting rate was found to be increased by 23.6%, when compared to the base case of 2 mm × 5 mm. Finally, it was confirmed that the values of the Reynolds number and inlet temperatures of the HTF had a significant impact on melting time savings when circular fins of staggered distribution were included.

The hydrothermal performance of multiple semi-twisted tape inserts inside a heat exchanger pipe is numerically examined in three-dimensions. This study aims to find the optimum case for having the highest heat transfer enhancement with the lowest friction factor using nanofluid (Al2O3/water). A performance evaluation criterion (PEC) is defined to characterize the performance based on both friction factor and heat transfer. It was found that increasing the number of semi-twisted tapes increases the number of swirl flow streams and leads to an enhancement in the local Nusselt number as well as the friction factor. The average Nusselt number increases from 15.13 to 28.42 and the average friction factor enhances from 0.022 to 0.052 by increasing the number of the semi-twisted tapes from 0 to 4 for the Reynolds number of 1000 for the base fluid. By using four semi-twisted tapes, the average Nusselt number increases from 12.5 to 28.5, while the friction factor reduces from 0.155 to 0.052 when the Reynolds number increases from 250 to 1000 for the base fluid. For the Reynolds number of 1000, the increase in nanofluid concentration from 0 to 3% improves the average Nusselt number and friction factor by 6.41% and 2.29%, respectively. The highest PEC is equal to 1.66 and belongs to the Reynolds number of 750 using four semi-twisted tape inserts with 3% nanoparticles. This work offers instructions to model an advanced design of twisted tape integrated with tubes using multiple semi-twisted tapes, which helps to provide a higher amount of energy demand for solar applications.

This study investigated the laminar convective heat transfer and fluid flow of Al2O3 nanofluid in a counter flow double-pipe heat exchanger equipped with overlapped twisted tape inserts in both inner and outer tubes. Two models of the same (co-swirling twisted tapes) and opposite (counter-swirling twisted tapes) angular directions for the stationary twisted tapes were considered. The computational fluid dynamic simulations were conducted through varying the design parameters, including the angular direction of twisted tape inserts, nanofluid volume concentration, and Reynolds number. It was found that inserting the overlapped twisted tapes in the heat exchanger significantly increases the thermal performance as well as the friction factor compared with the plain heat exchanger. The results indicate that models of co-swirling twisted tapes and counter-swirling twisted tapes increase the average Nusselt number by almost 35.2–66.2% and 42.1–68.7% over the Reynolds number ranging 250–1000, respectively. To assess the interplay between heat transfer enhancement and pressure loss penalty, the dimensionless number of performance evaluation criterion was calculated for all the captured configurations. Ultimately, the highest value of performance evaluation criterion is equal to 1.40 and 1.26 at inner and outer tubes at the Reynolds number of 1000 and the volume fraction of 3% in the case of counter-swirling twisted tapes model.