CFD simulations on a phase change thermal energy storage integrated with conducting fins

Abstract

Global warming has become a major problem that leads to an abnormal climate change crisis. For most countries around the world, there be would be a rise in the average daily temperature. Therefore, many research works have been conducted in order to overcome this problem. One of the most viable solutions is to store thermal energy for later use. This can be done by integrating phase change material (PCM) into thermal energy storage (TES) system. To counter the increasing temperature problem in the residential house, PCM can be implanted in the wall of the house, for instance. This way, PCM can go through freezing process during the night and countering the heat through the wall by melting process during day time. However, due to the thermal resistance within these systems, the inadequate heat transfer problem had always become the problem of low thermal conductivity. Therefore, the integration of conducting fins is proposed to the system to increase the overall thermal conductivity.