太阳能吸热器换热管蓄热数值模拟与试验研究

对以高温共晶盐LiF—CaF2为相变材料(PCM)和以干空气为工质的相变蓄热系统，采用焓方法建立了以控制体单元为对象的单管相变蓄热模型，并对系统进行了数值分析，得到了循环工质气体出口温度、相变材料容器最高温度和平均壁温等参数的瞬态变化曲线，实验研究了吸热器换热管的蓄傲热性能，分析了工质进口温度、输入热流级工质流量对工质出口温度、PCM容器平均壁温及最高壁温的影响。计算结果和试验表明单元换热管的蓄傲热性能达到了设计要求，试验结果与数值计算吻合良好。     

组合相变材料换热管吸热器性能的数值分析

吸热器是空间太阳能热动力发电系统关键部件之一。传统吸热器采用单一熔点的相变材料。该文提出了由不同溶点的相变材料组成的组合PCM换热管吸热器模型，计算了换热管最大温度、工质出口温度、各容器PCM熔化率、换热管总PCM熔化率等结果。并与单一PCM换热管吸热器进行了比较分析，说明了采用组合PCM换热管可以很好的提高吸热器的性能，对于减少工质温度波动、减少吸热器质量有重要的意义。计算结果可以较好的指导吸热器的设计。     

太阳入射热流对吸热器换热的影响

空间太阳能热动力发电系统是非常有前景的未来空间能源供应系统。吸热器的入射热流分布将影响到换热管的传热以及系统的寿命，采用焓法处理相变区的传热，建立了太阳能热动力发电系统吸势器换热管三维换热模型，计算得到在轨道周期内对应三种入射热流的换热管的温度场、工质的出口温度变化、相变材料熔化率等重要的结果，并进行了比较、分析。     

Three—Dimensional Heat Transfer Analysis for A Thermal Energy Storage Canister

IlltroductionSolar dynamic power modules (SDPM) with phasechange material (PCM) is a vital solution to ensureuninterrupted power supply for low-earth orbitapplication. The advantage of SDPM is its longerlifehme and higher efficiency. Longer lifetime results insubstanhal savings in hardware replacement, launch, andon-orbit installation costs. Because of SDPM's higherefficiency, its solar collection area is only about 25percent of that for a PV system. This would allowspacecraft operatin…     

High temperature latent heat thermal energy storage using heat pipes

A thermal network model is developed and used to analyze heat transfer in a high temperature latent heat thermal energy storage unit for solar thermal electricity generation. Specifically, the benefits of inserting multiple heat pipes between a heat transfer fluid and a phase change material (PCM) are of interest. Two storage configurations are considered; one with PCM surrounding a tube that conveys the heat transfer fluid, and the second with the PCM contained within a tube over which the heat transfer fluid flows. Both melting and solidification are simulated. It is demonstrated that adding heat pipes enhances thermal performance, which is quantified in terms of dimensionless heat pipe effectiveness.     

非共晶相变材料应用于太阳能吸热蓄热器的数值分析

通过计算分析发现对于目前的吸热蓄热器结构，采用相变发生在一个温度区间的非共晶熔盐混合物作为相变材料可以较好的提高吸热蓄热器的整体性能。主要表现在明显地提高相变材料的利用率、减小换热管工质出口温度波动、减小容器表面最大温度及容器表面温度变化，经过合理的设计还可以减小整体系统的质量。分析结果可以作为吸热器设计的参考。     

Thermal performance analysis for a heat receiver using multiple phase change materials

To solve the problems associated with employing the single melt point phase change material in a heat receiver for the NASA 2 kW solar dynamic power system, this paper presents a practically easy to carry-out PCM receiver model composed of three different phase change temperature materials together with the corresponding physical model. A numerical solution is also given by which the maximal temperature for heat transfer, working fluid exit temperature, and liquid PCM fraction of the total heat transfer tube in whole are calculated. Furthermore, the results are compared with those obtained from the single PCM heat receiver. The results show that it is possible to improve the receiver performance and to reduce both the fluctuation of working fluid temperature and the weight of the heat receiver. All results of the calculation can be used to guide the heat receiver design.     

太阳能热动力发电系统吸热器换热管试验及数值模拟

吸热器换热管地面试验是空间太阳能热动力发电系统吸热／蓄热器研制的重要阶段，是为了验证相变材料的蓄放热性能。对以共晶盐LiF—CaF2为蓄热介质的换热管进行了27个周期共2511分钟的地面试验，包括变参数试验和稳态试验，获得了容器表面温度和工质出口温度等试验结果。利用焓法建立相变蓄热换热管试验的传热模型，采用试验参数对地面试验进行了数值模拟，得到的结果与试验结果进行了比较，两者比较接近。证明了地面单管试验的成功性，也验证了换热管传热分析软件的可靠性。     

正交各向异性相变材料的无网格法传热模型及应用

利用无网格迦辽金(EFG)法建立正交各向异性相变材料的传热计算模型,基于该模型编程完成各向异性材料太阳能相变蓄热水箱和管壳式相变蓄热单元的相变传热分析,并探讨热导率因子和材料方向角对复合材料相变传热特性的影响.研究表明:在相同节点布置下EFG法的温度场和相界面计算精度均高于有限元法,EFG法在动态相界面追踪方面具有明显...     

Numerical investigation of the thermal mechanism of the solid-liquid phase changing process

由于相变换热储能技术可以协调能量在时间和空间尺度的分配,成为了目前研究的热点问题。本工作用焓值法分别对充填低温无机盐相变材料的二维和三维管壳式相变储能换热器模型的储/放热特性进行了模拟研究,采用Boussinesq近似研究了液相区密度变化引起的自然对流的影响。研究表明换热器的入口温度对相变换热效率影响显著;在储热过程中自然对流发挥了重要作用,换热效率与液相区的运动状态直接相关,而放热过程中的热交换主要依靠热传导完成;三维模拟的结果表明换热管出口温度与管壁的平均努赛尔数高度相关,且换热管水平放置的换热效率略低于竖直放置。     

Numerical and experimental investigation for heat transfer in triplex concentric tube with phase change material for thermal energy storage

This paper addresses a numerical and experimental investigation of a thermal energy storage unit involving phase change process dominated by heat conduction. The thermal energy storage unit involves a triplex concentric tube with phase change material (PCM) filling in the middle channel, with hot heat transfer fluid (HHTF) flowing outer channel during charging process and cold heat transfer fluid (CHTF) flowing inner channel during discharging process. A simple numerical method according to conversation of energy, called temperature & thermal resistance iteration method has been developed for the analysis of PCM solidification and melting in the triplex concentric tube. To test the physical validity of the numerical results, an experimental apparatus has been designed and built by which the effect of the inlet temperature and the flow rate of heat transfer fluid (HTF, including HHTF and CHTF) on the thermal energy storage has been studied. Comparison between the numerical predictions and the experimental data shows good agreement. Graphical results including fluid temperature and interface of solid and liquid phase of PCM versus time and axial position, time-wise variation of energy stored/released by the system were presented and discussed.     

Solar water heaters with phase change material thermal energy storage medium: A review

Latent heat thermal energy storage is one of the most efficient ways to store thermal energy for heating water by energy received from sun. This paper summarizes the investigation and analysis of thermal energy storage incorporating with and without PCM for use in solar water heaters. The relative studies are classified on the basis of type of collector and the type of storage used i.e. sensible or latent. A thorough literature investigation into the use of phase change material (PCM) in solar water heating has been considered. It has been demonstrated that for a better thermal performance of solar water heater a phase change material with high latent heat and with large surface area for heat transfer is required.     

Thermal energy storage system using stearic acid as a phase change material

The thermal performance and phase change stability of stearic acid as a latent heat energy storage material has been studied experimentally. The thermal performance and heat transfer characteristics of the stearic acid were tested and compared with other studies given in the literature. In the present study, parameters such as transition times, temperature range and propagation of the solid–liquid interface as well as the effect of the heat flow rate on the phase change stability of stearic acid as a phase change material (PCM) were studied. The experimental results showed that the melting stability of the PCM is better in the radial direction than in the axial direction. The variation in the melting and solidification parameters of the PCM with the change of inlet water temperature is also studied. We observed that while the heat exchanger tube is in the horizontal position, the PCM has more effective and steady phase change characteristics than in the vertical position. The heat storage capacity of the container (PCM tube) is not as good as we expected in this study and the average heat storage efficiency (or heat exchanger effectiveness) is 50.3%. This indicates that 49.7% of the heat is actually lost somewhere.     

Melting of PCM in a thermal energy storage unit: Numerical investigation and effect of nanoparticle enhancement

The present paper describes the analysis of the melting process in a single vertical shell‐and‐tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES), unit and it is directed at understanding the thermal performance of the system. The study is realized using a computational fluid‐dynamic (CFD) model that takes into account of the phase‐change phenomenon by means of the enthalpy method. Fluid flow is fully resolved in the liquid phase‐change material (PCM) in order to elucidate the role of natural convection. The unsteady evolution of the melting front and the velocity and temperature fields is detailed. Temperature profiles are analyzed and compared with experimental data available in the literature. Other relevant quantities are also monitored, including energy stored and heat flux exchanged between PCM and HTF. The results demonstrate that natural convection within PCM and inlet HTF temperature significantly affects the phase‐change process. Thermal enhancement through the dispersion of highly conductive nanoparticles in the base PCM is considered in the second part of the paper. Thermal behavior of the LHTES unit charged with nano‐enhanced PCM is numerically analyzed and compared with the original system configuration. Due to increase of thermal conductivity, augmented thermal performance is observed: melting time is reduced of 15% when nano‐enhanced PCM with particle volume fraction of 4% is adopted. Similar improvements of the heat transfer rate are also detected. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation of a domestic solar water heater with solar collector coupled phase-change energy storage

Phase change materials (PCMs) have good properties such as high thermal capacity and constant phase change temperature. Their potential use in solar energy storage is promising. Tests of exposure and constant flow rate are performed to investigate the thermal performance of a domestic solar water heater with solar collector coupled phase-change energy storage (DSWHSCPHES). Due to the low thermal conductivity and high viscosity of PCM, heat transfer in the PCM module is repressed. The thermal performance of the DSWHSCPHES under exposure is inferior to that of traditional water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters (TWGETSWH) with an identical collector area. DSWHSCPHES also performs more efficiently with a constant flow rate than under the condition of exposure. Radiation and initial water temperature have impacts on system performance; with the increase of proportion of diffuse to global radiation and/or initial water temperature, system performance deteriorates and vice versa.     

高温相变材料Al-Si合金选择及其与金属容器相容性实验研究

对高温相变材料铝硅合金的相变温度和潜热进行了分析测定,研究了其热稳定性,并对此类相变材料与金属容器的相容性进行了实验研究。实验结果表明,相变材料AlSi12相变温度适中而潜热大,可作为蓄热介质来储存太阳能；温度对AlSi12与不锈钢材料之间的扩散渗透影响显著。     

Heat Transfer Enhancement for PCM Thermal Energy Storage in Triplex Tube Heat Exchanger

Thermal energy storage is critical for reducing the discrepancy between energy supply and energy demand, as well as for improving the efficiency of solar thermal energy systems. Among the different types of thermal energy storage, phase-change materials (PCM) thermal energy storage has gained significant attention recently because of its high energy density per unit mass/volume at nearly constant temperature. This study experimentally investigates the using of a triplex tube heat exchanger (TTHX) with PCM in the middle tube as the thermal energy storage to power a liquid desiccant air-conditioning system. Four longitudinal fins were welded to each of the inner and middle tubes as a heat transfer enhancement in the TTHX to improve the thermal performance of the thermal energy storage. The average temperature of the PCM during the melting process in the TTHX with and without fins was compared. The PCM temperature gradients in the angular direction were analyzed to study the effect of the natural convection in the melting process of the thermal storage. The energy storage efficiency of the TTHX was determined. Results indicated that there was a considerable enhancement in the melting rate by using fins in the TTHX thermal storage. The PCM melting time is reduced to 86% by increasing of the inlet heat transfer fluid. The average heat storage efficiency calculated from experimental data for all the PCMs is 71.8%, meaning that 28.2% of the heat actually was lost.     

Analytical optimization of interior PCM for energy storage in a lightweight passive solar room

Lightweight envelopes are widely used in modern buildings but they lack sufficient thermal capacity for passive solar utilization. An attractive solution to increase the building thermal capacity is to incorporate phase change material (PCM) into the building envelope. In this paper, a simplified theoretical model is established to optimize an interior PCM for energy storage in a lightweight passive solar room. Analytical equations are presented to calculate the optimal phase change temperature and the total amount of latent heat capacity and to estimate the benefit of the interior PCM for energy storage. Further, as an example, the analytical optimization is applied to the interior PCM panels in a direct-gain room with realistic outdoor climatic conditions of Beijing. The analytical results agree well with the numerical results. The analytical results show that: (1) the optimal phase change temperature depends on the average indoor air temperature and the radiation absorbed by the PCM panels; (2) the interior PCM has little effect on average indoor air temperature; and (3) the amplitude of the indoor air temperature fluctuation depends on the product of surface heat transfer coefficient h_in and area A of the PCM panels in a lightweight passive solar room.     

Experimental study on performance of square tube absorber with phase change material

The intermittent nature of solar radiation has decreased the performance efficiency of solar heaters. Integrating the solar heater with thermal energy storage component could increase its performance effectively. In this article, an investigation on the effect of phase change material (PCM) as the thermal energy storage component on the performance of square aluminum tube was carried out experimentally. In the first phase, the temperature behavior of square aluminum tube with two types of PCM, namely, generic plant-based PCM (A2) and paraffin wax (A3), was compared with square aluminum tube without PCM (A1). In the second phase, the performance of square aluminum tube was investigated with different paraffin wax masses of 38 g (B1), 48 g (B2), and 58 g (B3). Based on the result, the A3 tube configuration performed better than A1 and A2 tube configurations with higher heat gain rate (0.08°C/s) and lower heat discharge rate (−0.04°C/s). The B2 tube configuration was found to have maximum heat gain of 3.73 kJ with higher heat discharge rate as compared with other square tube configurations. The average temperature difference between internal and external surface tube of B2 was lower (4.3°C) leading to higher average temperature difference at ambient temperature of 25.3°C. Instantaneous efficiency of the tube B2 is higher than the B1 and B3 tube configurations by 16% and 26%, respectively. The result suggests that the insertion of paraffin wax inside the square absorber tube improves the temperature response of the absorber in the situation of intermittent solar radiation.     

Numerical simulation of high‐temperature phase change heat storage system

In this paper, numerical results pertaining to cyclic melting and freezing of an encapsulated phase‐change material (PCM) have been reported. The cyclic nature of the present problem is relevant to latent heat thermal energy storage system used to power solar Brayton engines in space. In particular, a physical and numerical model of the single‐tube phase change heat storage system was developed. A high‐temperature eutectic mixture of LiF‐CaF₂ was used as the PCM and dry air was used as the working fluid. Numerical results were compared with available experimental data. The trends were in close agreement. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(1): 32–41, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10132