Thermal performance of microencapsulated phase change material slurry in helical coils with reversed loops and wire coil inserts

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) slurry were experimentally investigated using a newly designed helical coil heat transfer device. The conventional helical coil has been structurally modified with passive enhancement features aiming to further promote fluid mixing. Specifically, 360° plastic tubing with or without wire coil inserts was added after each 180° of the main helical loop to enhance fluid mixing and improve the overall thermal performance of the device. Pressure drop and heat transfer experiments with MPCM slurry were conducted under turbulent flow and constant heat flux conditions. A new friction factor and Nusselt number correlations for MPCM slurry in helical coils with reversed loops and wire coil inserts are proposed. Experimental results show that the structural modifications did enhance the heat transfer performance of MPCM slurry. The experimental results revealed that the phase change process of MPCM considerably enhanced the heat transfer rate of MPCM slurry. Furthermore, the use of reversed loops and wire coil inserts led to better fluid mixing within the coil, resulting in improved convective heat transfer of the MPCM slurry.