Proposing novel “L” shaped fin to boost the melting performance of a vertical PCM enclosure

Abstract

Vertical PCM enclosures are widely used in different applications. The weak heat conduction in these systems is their main deficiency. In present work, the “L” shaped fin was utilized instead of ordinary double rectangular fins. 10 different cases were considered which included two typical arrangements. First arrangement, included the fins placed at the lower side of the enclosure and the second arrangement was for the fins placed at the upper side of the enclosure. Furthermore, dimensions of vertical part (LV) and horizontal (LH) were considered as the varying parameters. The left vertical wall was heated and has constant temperature of 343 K. Luaric acid was used as PCM material. The results indicated that the orientation and dimensions of the “L” shaped fins have significant effect on the melting performance, energy storage and exergy of the enclosure. It was found that the application of upward L shaped fin is better than the upward form in the melting process of a vertical enclosure. The best case was related to fin mounted at the lower side of the enclosure which had LH and LV of 40 and 20 mm, presenting about 45% enhancement in the melting time.