Studying the advantages of equal curvature curved fin to enhance phase change heat storage

Abstract

Strengthening the heat storage process is the most important means for its application of the phase change heat storage system. By adding fins to the phase change material, the heat transfer area can be expanded and consequently effectively accelerates the heat storage rate. Therefore, this paper proposed a new fin optimization method: the combination of fins of different structures under non-uniform arrangement conditions. This study proposed an equal-curvature curved fin structure based on straight fin. Then, under the same amounts of fins and heat transfer area, the heat storage system with curved fin and straight fin were studied and analyzed. Moreover, by comparing with straight fin, the effect of the combined curved and straight fins on the performance of heat storage system with different arrangements was exhibited and discussed. The results indicated that curved fins have the effect of enhancing heat transfer by comparing with a straight fin. However, the combined curved fin and straight fin with uniform arrangement has no obvious advantage over straight fin model. Compared with the uniform arrangement, under the condition of non-uniform arrangement, the melting performance of the curved fin and straight fin combination models was improved by 24.5 % at most and at least 9.2 %, the melting performance of the straight fin model is improved by 7.7 %. Finally, the results of the optimization method proposed by other scholars are compared to prove that the optimization method proposed in this study is feasible. This work provides the new ideas for fins design with different structures and non-uniform arrangement of heat storage system.