Inherent fluctuations in the availability of energy from renewables, particularly solar, remain a substantial impediment to their widespread deployment worldwide. Employing phase-change materials (PCMs) as media, saving energy for later consumption, offers a promising solution for overcoming the problem. However, the heat conductivities of most PCMs are limited, which severely limits the energy storage potential of these materials. This study suggests employing circular fins with staggered distribution to achieve improved thermal response rates of PCM in a vertical triple-tube heat exchanger involving two opposite flow streams of the heat-transfer fluid (HTF). Since heat diffusion is not the same at various portions of the PCM unit, different fin configurations, fin dimensions and HTF flow boundary conditions were explored using computational studies of melting in the PCM triple-tube system. Staggered configuration of fin distribution resulted in significant increases in the rates of PCM melting. The results indicate that the melting rate and heat charging rate could be increased by 37.2 and 59.1%, respectively, in the case of staggered distribution. Furthermore, the use of lengthy fins with smaller thickness in the vertical direction of the storage unit resulted in a better positive role of natural convection; thus, faster melting rates were achieved. With fin dimensions of 0.666 mm × 15 mm, the melting rate was found to be increased by 23.6%, when compared to the base case of 2 mm × 5 mm. Finally, it was confirmed that the values of the Reynolds number and inlet temperatures of the HTF had a significant impact on melting time savings when circular fins of staggered distribution were included.
This study concerns a new type of heat exchangers, which is that of shell-and-double concentric tube heat exchangers. The case studies include both design calculations and performance calculations.
The new heat exchanger design was conducted according to Kern method. The volumetric flow rates were 3.6 m3/h and 7.63 m3/h for the hot oil and water respectively. The experimental parameters studied were: temperature, flow rate of hot oil, flow rate of cold water and pressure drop.
A comparison was made for the theoretical and experimental results and it was found that the percentage error for the hot oil outlet temperature was (- 1.6%). The percentage
... Show MoreAn experimental and theoretical investigation of three phase direct contact heat transfer by evaporation of refrigerant drops in an immiscible liquid has been carried out. Refrigerant Rl2 and R134a were used for the dispersed phase, while water and brine were the immiscible continuous phase. A numerical analysis is presented to predict the temperature distribution throughout the circular test column radially and axially is achieved. Experimental measurements of the temperature distribution have been compared with the numerical results and are discussed .A comparison between the experimental and theoretical results showed acceptable agreement and applicability of the derived equations. Comparison with other related work showed similar beh
... Show MoreA paraffin wax and copper foam matrix were used as a thermal energy storage material in the double passes air solar chimney (SC) collector to get ventilation effect through daytime and after sunset. Air SC collector was installed in the south wall of an insulated test room and tested with different working angles (30o, 45o and 60o). Different SC types were used; single pass, double passes flat plate collector and double pass thermal energy storage box collector (TESB). A computational model based on the finite volume method for transient tw dimensional domains was carried out to describe the heat transfer and storage in the thermal energy storage material of collector. Also, equivalent specific heat metho
... Show MoreThis work is concerned with the design and performance evaluation of a shell and double concentric tubes heat exchanger using Solid Works and ANSY (Computational Fluid Dynamics).
Computational fluid dynamics technique which is a computer-based analysis is used to simulate the heat exchanger involving fluid flow, heat transfer. CFD resolve the entire heat exchanger in discrete elements to find: (1) the temperature gradients, (2) pressure distribution, and (3) velocity vectors. The RNG k-ε model of turbulence is used to determining the accurate results from CFD.
The heat exchanger design for this work consisted of a shell and eight double concentric tubes. The number of inlets are three and that of o
... Show MoreThe current study presents an experimental investigation of heat transfer and flow characteristic for subcooled flow boiling of deionized water in the microchannel heat sink. The test section consisted of a single microchannel having 300μm wide nominal dimensions and 300μm height (hydraulic diameter of 300μm). The test section formed of oxygen-free copper with 72mm length and 12mm width. Experimental operation conditions spanned the heat flux (78-800) kW/m2, mass flux (1700 and 2100) kg/m2.s at 31˚C subcooled inlet temperature. The boiling heat transfer coefficient is measured and compared with existing correlations. Also, the experimental pressure drop is measured and compared with microscale p
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In this paper presents two dimensional turbulent flow of different nanofluids and ribs configuration in a circular tube have been numerically investigation using FLUENT 6.3.26. Two samples of CuO and, ZnO nanoparticles with 2% v/v concentration and 40 nm as nanoparticle diameter combined with trapezoidalribs with aspect ratio of p/d=5.72 in a constant tube surface heat flux were conducted for simulation. The results showed that heat flow as Nusselt number for all cases raises with Reynolds number and volume fraction of nanofluid, likewise the results also reveal that ZnO with volume fractions of 2% in trapezoidal ribs offered highest Nusselt number at Reynolds number of Re= 30000.
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... Show MoreGlobal technological advancements drive daily energy consumption, generating additional carbon-induced climate challenges. Modifying process parameters, optimizing design, and employing high-performance working fluids are among the techniques offered by researchers for improving the thermal efficiency of heating and cooling systems. This study investigates the heat transfer enhancement of hybrid “Al2O3-Cu/water” nanofluids flowing in a two-dimensional channel with semicircle ribs. The novelty of this research is in employing semicircle ribs combined with hybrid nanofluids in turbulent flow regimes. A computer modeling approach using a finite volume approach with k-ω shear stress transport turbulence model was used in these simu
... Show MoreThe fouling depositions of crude oil stream were studied theoretically in a shell and tube heat exchanger to investigate the effect of depositions on the heat transfer process. The employed heat exchanger was with steam flowing in the inner tubes and crude oil in the shell at different velocities and bulk temperatures. It is assumed that fouling occurs only on the heated stream side (crude oil). The analysis was carried out for turbulent flow heat transfer conditions with wide range of Reynolds number, bulk temperature and time. Many previously proposed models for fouling resistance were employed to estimate a new model for fouling rate. It is found that the fouling rate and consequently the heat transfer coefficient were affected by Rey
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