Thermal Performance Assessment for an Active Latent Heat Storage Tank by Using Various Finned-Coil Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Paraffin-based latent heat storage has a higher thermal capacity than sensible heat storage. Despite that, the actual implementation of paraffin as an active latent heat storage (ALHS) system is limited due to low charging and discharging rate with unequal temperature distribution as the impact of mushy region formation. The present study evaluates the finned-coil heat exchanger for the ALHS tank to overcome the related problems. Three finned-coil configurations are tested experimentally: straight-fin, branched-fin and height-fin. The evaluation uses the ALHS arrangement to assess each configuration's charging/discharging rate. The branched fin provides an equal thermal distribution, promoting a higher final temperature of 112.3°C. It also achieves the highest power rate of 250.5 Watts. The height-fin minimizes the effect of void formation, which maintains a sufficient heat transfer rate during the discharging. However, the average power rate for each model is relatively low. The finding indicates that it is essential to provide adequate heat transfer for the center part of the tank, including adding a branched fin along with coil turn to provide a better heat transfer rate. It boosts the charging/discharging rate, making the system's response time desirable to achieve effective power during the operation.