An Analytical Study of Heat Exchanger Effectiveness and Thermal Performance in a Solar Energy Storage System With PCM

Abstract

Solar thermal energy storage systems can be categorized based on materials that store either as sensible heat or as latent heat of fusion. For convenience, the latter are designated as phase change materials (PCM). It is a fairly well accepted fact that PCM storage devices usually require less storage volume. In a recent paper, heat exchanger effectiveness for PCM storage units was theoretically derived and presented in chart form. The heat exchanger considered was a shell-and-tube type, viz., the shell side filled with PCM and the tube side with heating or cooling fluid. The PCM heat storage system presented here, however, involves both heating and cooling fluids with a PCM in the middle composed of rectangular channels. This system may be used to store the thermal energy absorbed by a solar collector for the purpose of heating a building. The thermal energy carried by a hot fluid coming from the solar collector can be transferred through the upper surface I. The thermal energy stored in the system can be extracted through the lower surface II by a cold fluid circulating through the building. In order to transfer heat to the melting PCM, the temperature of the hot fluid must bemore » higher than the melting point of the PCM, T /SUB m/ , and to remove heat from the solidifying PCM, the temperature of the cold fluid must be lower than T /SUB m/ . Therefore, the melting point of the PCM presents a limitation of the temperature of both the hot and cold fluids. This temperature limitation is more or less similar to the temperature restriction of a parallel-flow heat exchanger, in which the final temperature of the cold fluid can never reach the outlet temperature of the hot fluid.« less