Abstract
The following article presents experimental comparison research on a hexagonal shelland-tube latent thermal energy storage (TES). Such shape of a shell was deliberately chosen instead of a cylindrical one due to its high modularity and with intent for future applications in automobiles (EV and PHEV) air conditioning systems (HVAC). Two geometries of helical coils, acting as tubes, were studied in this article. One was a simple helical coil with a small pitch. The other one was a helical coil with a larger pitch but enhanced with six longitudinal fins for each corner of the hexagon. Fins were added to study the effects of higher heat transfer area as well as effects of better thermal penetration of the Phase Change Material (PCM). Geometries of coils were matched with intent to occupy the same volume in the storage tank for a better comparison of the results. Results were also compared with previous studies carried out by authors for a copper pipe placed in a cylindrical shell. PCM chosen for this study was RT18HC due to its high value of latent heat and the melting temperature close to 18°C. Melting temperature value is crucial for applications in vehicle thermal control systems.
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