Exploration of a plate heat exchanger utilising a phase change material: an experimental and computational study

• Published in: IOP conference series. Materials Science and Engineering 2021-02, Vol.1067 (1), p.12104
• Main Authors: Juaifer, H J A, AbdulAmeer, S A, Mahdi, J A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Charging; Flat plates; Flow velocity; Free convection; Heat transfer; Mathematical models; Melt temperature; Numerical models; Paraffin wax; Phase change materials; Plate heat exchangers; Solidification; Thermal energy; Thermal storage
• ISSN: 1757-8981; 1757-899X
• DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/1067/1/012104

In this article, the heat transfer mechanism of a phase change material (PCM) chamber during charging and discharging processes was studied both numerically and experimentally. A flat plate thermal storage system with dimensions of 500 × 100 × 12 mm, and a PCM thickness of 12 mm was thus investigated. The thermal storage material selected was commercial paraffin wax with a melting temperature of about 60 °C. A diffusion-advection numerical model was used to study heat transfer in this system, as it was observed that the experimental results were in good agreement with this model. In this way, natural convection was found to be the dominant phenomenon in the model. The effects of heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperature and volume flow rate on the melting and solidification time were also assessed, producing the finding that, by elevating the inlet HTF temperature from T h = 343 K to 348 K and then 353 K, the charging time can be reduced by up to 35%.