Natural convection and field synergy principle analysis of the influence of fins redistribution on the performance of a latent heat storage unit in a successive charge and discharge

The present study focuses on analyzing the impact of enhancing the heat exchanges on the shell side by surface extension on the kinetics of melting/solidification in a latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit. Particular attention is paid to the influence of fins redistribution on the performance of the LHTES unit, natural convection, and Phase Change Material (PCM) melting/solidification kinetics. The particularity of this study lies in the improvement of the LHTES unit performances in a successive charging-discharging operation by only redistributing the fins while keeping the same total heat transfer surface, PCM volume, and compactness. The first part of the study consists of evaluating the impact of fin redistribution for the same total heat transfer surface on the LHTES unit performance. Attention was paid to the fully charging and discharging times and the heat duty absorbed or released during the melting or solidification process. For this purpose, 4 configurations of LHTES units having 4 and 8 radial fins with the same total transfer surface were analyzed, with the aim of ensuring a maximum performance on charging process. In a second part, an improved configuration was proposed in order to minimize the successive charging and discharging time for a cyclic operation of the LHTES unit. The coordination factor derived from the field synergy principle, PCM liquid fraction, the heat duty exchanged, phase change kinetics, and liquid PCM velocity were used as performance key factors. They were used to analyze and compare the different configurations in order to find the best configuration for a successive charging-discharging operation. The selected improved configuration has been found to enhance both the charging and discharging processes. It leads to the reduction of the successive charging-discharging overall duration by 10 % to 47 % compared to the other configurations investigated with the same heat transfer surface. The enhanced LHTES unit developed in the present study is intended to improve the thermal comfort of buildings by valorizing and storing renewable and waste energies.