Simulation of a new phase change energy storage tank design with a vertical baffle

• Published in: Energy and buildings 2022-08, Vol.268, p.112205, Article 112205
• Main Authors: Feng, Guohui, Wang, Tianyu, Huang, Kailiang, Wang, Gang, Cheng, Yuqian, Zhang, Lei, Li, Ainong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Heat storage and release performance; Numerical simulation; Phase change energy storage tank; Phase change energy storage unit; Temperature distribution
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2022.112205

•A new design of phase change water tank with a vertical baffle is simulated.•The new design of phase change water tank can solve the problem of incomplete melting of phase change materials found in traditional phase change water tank designs.•Compared with the traditional phase change water tank, the new phase change water tank shortens the heat storage time, prolongs the heat release time, and increases the heat release outlet temperature of water.•The optimal inlet flow rate for the new phase change water tank should be maintained at 0.2–0.3 m/s. In this study, a new phase change water tank (NPCWT) design with a vertical baffle was simulated. Unlike in traditional phase change water tank (TPCWT) designs, the phase change materials (PCMs) of the new design were concentrated on one side of the tank, and the baffle divides the tank into a phase-change zone and a non-phase change zone. The simulation results were first compared with experimental data to verify the accuracy of the simulation. Then, the FLUENT software package was used to compare the performance of the NPCWT with that of a common water tank (CWT) and a TPCWT of the same overall dimensions. The influence of the inlet flowrate on NPCWT performance was also studied. The heat storage and release performance of tanks were analyzed in terms of heat storage and release time, temperature distribution, and the utilization rate of the PCM. The simulation results show that the performance of the NPCWT is better than that of the other two designs. Compared with TPCWT, the heat storage time is reduced by 4.12%, while the heat release time is extended by 4.6%. It can also effectively solve the problem of the low utilization rate of PCM, and the heat storage capacity and other parameters are improved. The overall thermal performance of the NPCWT is at an optimum when the inlet flow rate is set to 0.2–0.3 m/s.