Intensifying the thermal response of PCM via fin-assisted foam strips in the shell-and-tube heat storage system

An approach for intensifying the thermal response of phase-change materials (PCMs) in the shell-and-tube containment system via applying fin-assisted foam strips was proposed in this paper. The thermal response of these materials to energy storage and recovery duties is inherently limited due to their high thermal resistance. To support better thermal communication between the tube carrying the heat-transfer fluid and PCM in charge, this study suggests applying a fin array with foam strips. The use of foam strips rather than full foam was suggested since they require less material and can achieve better enhancement rate as they can operate in a more convection-friendly environment. The proposed approach was successfully tested and verified by comparing the enhanced melting and solidification rates between four different enhancement additives within the same volume limitations. These additives were: foam alone, fins alone, even fins with foam strips, and uneven fins with foam strips. A computational model that took into account the impact of the convective flow of PCM and the non-Darcy flow in foam strips was applied and validated via previous research. The results revealed that the uneven fins with foam strips had the best enhancement potential when compared to other additives in use. It was found that the melting rate could be enhanced up to 58 % and the corresponding solidification rate could be enhanced up to 42 % depending on the type and volume fraction of the enhancement additive used.