Analysis of a thermal storage unit containing multiple phase change materials dispersed with high conductivity particles

摘要

This paper investigates numerically the combined effect of employing multiple Phase change materials (PCMs) and dispersion of high conductivity particles on the thermal performance of an energy storage unit. The key parameters that govern the performance have been identified following a simple reduction of variables. Among the different parameters, melting temperature of the PCMs, latent heat and melting temperature difference between two consecutive PCMs (Delta T-m) are found to have a significant influence on the performance. A case study considering a 3-PCM unit to study the effect of key parameters during melting has been presented. The results show that for the 3-PCM unit, the performance is better when the second and third PCMs placed have their latent heats larger than the first PCM. It has been recommended to have Delta T-m1 Delta T-m2 for the 3-PCM unit in order achieve more melting.