Design and Fabrication of a Phase Change Material (PCM) Based Heat Storage Setup
Date
2024-04-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
I.O.E
Abstract
This report outlines a significant project focused on developing and testing two different methods to store heat using special materials called phase change materials (PCMs) within heat exchangers. Initially, the project started with basic designs for heat exchangers such as double pipe and shell & tube configurations. As the project progressed, advanced features like radial fins and PCM integration were incorporated to improve heat exchange efficiency and storage capacity.
Using ANSYS Fluent, detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and thermal simulations were conducted to understand how heat transfers within these systems. These simulations provided valuable insights into heat transfer dynamics, guiding the refinement of designs. Subsequently, one of the shell & tube PCM heat storage setups was fabricated and tested to validate theoretical models. The experimental results closely matched predictions, confirming the effectiveness of the design approach.
Description
This report outlines a significant project focused on developing and testing two different methods to store heat using special materials called phase change materials (PCMs) within heat exchangers. Initially, the project started with basic designs for heat exchangers such as double pipe and shell & tube configurations. As the project progressed, advanced features like radial fins and PCM integration were incorporated to improve heat exchange efficiency and storage capacity.
Keywords
Design, Fabrication, Heat Storage, Phase Change Material (PCM)