Heat transfer enhancement of phase change materials PCMs using innovative fractal H-shaped fin configurations

Abstract

Despite their limited thermal conductivity, phase change materials (PCMs) have been extensively utilized in numerous engineering applications as a means of energy storage. Using the biomimicry method, an innovative configuration was proposed and investigated numerically. It was inspired by trees' structures aiming to improve the melting performance of triplex concentric tube heat exchangers.Based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code, this study examines the impact of integrating innovative fractal H-shaped solid fins, as well as various geometrical parameters such as the number of patterned fins, arrangement type, and stretched fins, on enhancing the PCM's performance. Compared with previous experimental work, the numerical method was validated.Through two-dimensional 2D simulations, the main objective of this work was to identify the optimal configuration that effectively maximizes the heat transfer performance during the charging process and significantly enhances the overall efficiency of an energy storage system filled with RT82.The obtained results demonstrate the positive impact of applying the bio-inspired fractal H structures to enhance the melting process. The configuration with four fin patterns achieved an improvement of 69.14 % compared with the thermal energy storage TES system equipped with uniform plate fins.