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Title: Thermal Performance Enhancement of Shell and Tube Latent Heat Storage Unit using
Longitudinal Fins
Article Type: Research Paper
Keywords: Latent Heat Storage Unit (LHSU); Phase Change Material (PCM); Longitudinal Fins; Melting
Time
Corresponding Author: Dr. Jyotirmay Banerjee, Ph D
Corresponding Author's Institution: S V National Institute of Technology Surat
First Author: Manish K Rathod, PhD
Order of Authors: Manish K Rathod, PhD; Jyotirmay Banerjee, Ph D
Abstract: Latent heat storage unit (LHSU) employing phase change materials (PCMs) is an effective
means of thermal energy storage for solar applications. The practical use of such energy storage unit is
however limited by the low thermal conductivity of the available PCMs. Significant augmentation in the
heat transfer rate of PCMs is possible by installation of longitudinal fins. The augmentation in heat
transfer for a shell and tube type LHSU is estimated by carrying out experimental analysis with three
longitudinal fins installed on the heat transfer fluid (HTF) tube. The heat transfer augmentation is
established in terms of melting and solidification time for varying fluid inlet temperatures and flow
rates of heat transfer fluid (HTF). Experimental results show that the heat transfer augmentation is
more sensitive to increase in HTF inlet temperature as compared to increase in mass flow rate of HTF.
Solidification time has been observed to reduce up to 43.6% by installation of three fins. Comparative
performance evaluation of the shell and tube type LHSU with and without fins is also reported based
on minimization of entropy generation number.

Suggested Reviewers

LIST OF POTENTIAL REVIEWERS

1.

Prof. Ramesh K. Agarwal

Washington University in St. Louis
School of Engineering
Campus Box 1185,One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA
Email: rka@wustl.edu, rka@me.wustl.edu
Home page: http://research.engineering.wustl.edu/~agarwalr/

2.

Prof. K. Murlidhar
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur Kanpur- 208016
UP , India
E-mail: kmurli@iitk.ac.in
Home page: http://home.iitk.ac.in/~kmurli/

Dr. Atul Sharma

Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
Email:atuls@me.iitb.ac.in, atulsharma@iitb.ac.in
Phone: +91-22-2576-7505(O)
Home page: http://www.me.iitb.ac.in/~atuls/

4.

Prof. Rakesh Mishra

Energy, Emissions and Environment Research Group Leader,
Centre for Diagnostic Engineering,
School of Computing and Engineering,
University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, U.K., Post Code: HD1 3DH,
Office: CE2-08
Phone: +44 1484 473263
E-mail: r.mishra@hud.ac.uk
Home page: http://www.hud.ac.uk/ourstaff/profile/index.php?staffuid=sengrm

Responses to Technical Check Results

To
The Editor
Applied Thermal Engineering

Subject: Response to Technical Check Results

Dear Editor
The following technical checks have been incorporated in our manuscript entitled Thermal
Performance Enhancement of Shell and Tube Latent Heat Storage Unit using Longitudinal Fins
Applied Thermal Engineering.
1. A separate file on Research Highlights has been added
2. Pages are numbered in the entire manuscript.

With warm regards

Dr. Jyotirmay Banerjee
Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department,
National Institute of Technology, Surat,
Gujarat, India - 395007
email- jbaner@med.svnit.ac.in
jbaner@gmail.com
Phone- 09879277675 (Mobile)
91-261-2201575 (O)
91-261-2201683 (R)
Fax : 91-261-2228394

Highlights (for review)

Thermal Performance Enhancement of Shell and Tube Latent Heat Storage

Unit using Longitudinal Fins
1
1

Rathod Manish K and 1Jyotirmay Banerjee*

Department of Mechanical Engineering, S. V. National Institute of Technology, Surat,

395 007, Gujarat, India

Research Highlights

Augmentation in heat transfer for a shell and tube LHSU is estimated by experimental
analysis with longitudinal fins installed on the HTF tube.

Solidification time is observed to reduce up to 43.6% by installation of three fins.

Percentage decrease in melting time due to fins is 12.5% and 24.52% for HTF inlet
temperatures of 80oC and 85oC respectively.

Second law analysis shows higher reduction in entropy generation number for the LHSU
with fins at lower HTF inlet temperatures.

*Tel.: +91-261-2204145; Fax:+91-261-2228394

E-mail:jbaner@med.svnit.ac.in

*Manuscript
Click here to view linked References

Thermal Performance Enhancement of Shell and Tube Latent Heat

Storage Unit using Longitudinal Fins

1
2

3
4

Rathod Manish K and 1Jyotirmay Banerjee

Department of Mechanical Engineering, S. V. National Institute of Technology, Surat,

395 007, Gujarat, India

6
7

Abstract: Latent heat storage unit (LHSU) employing phase change materials (PCMs) is an

effective means of thermal energy storage for solar applications. The practical use of such

energy storage unit is however limited by the low thermal conductivity of the available

10

PCMs. Significant augmentation in the heat transfer rate of PCMs is possible by installation

11

of longitudinal fins. The augmentation in heat transfer for a shell and tube type LHSU is

12

estimated by carrying out experimental analysis with three longitudinal fins installed on the

13

heat transfer fluid (HTF) tube. The heat transfer augmentation is established in terms of

14

melting and solidification time for varying fluid inlet temperatures and flow rates of heat

15

transfer fluid (HTF). Experimental results show that the heat transfer augmentation is more

16

sensitive to increase in HTF inlet temperature as compared to increase in mass flow rate of

17

HTF. Solidification time has been observed to reduce up to 43.6% by installation of three

18

fins. Comparative performance evaluation of the shell and tube type LHSU with and without

19

fins is also reported based on minimization of entropy generation number.

20
21

Keywords: Latent Heat Storage Unit (LHSU); Phase Change Material (PCM); Longitudinal

22

Fins; Melting Time.

23
24

1. Introduction

25

A major emphasis in thermal energy research today is to develop efficient thermal appliances

26

and equipments which can utilize non-convectional energy sources effectively. For example,

27

application of solar devices requires efficient thermal energy storage so as to store the surplus

28

heat collected during sunshine hours for later use during night. Latent Heat Storage Unit

29

(LHSU) using Phase Change Material (PCM) is more effective energy storage device for

30

such applications compared to Sensible Heat Storage Unit (SHSU).

31

The practical utility of LHSU however is limited by the low thermal conductivity of PCM

32

used and the variation in thermo-physical properties of PCM under extended cycles of

33

operations. In many cases, the PCM undergoes phase segregation, sub-cooling and

34

incongruent melting after number of operation cycles [1-5]. Also, LHSUs are associated with
1

significant volume change of PCM during phase transformation. Low thermal conductivity

of PCM affects the total melting time (energy storage time) and the energy retrieval

associated with a considerable temperature drop. Thus thermal performance enhancement of

such systems is essential in order to meet the expected level of energy storage/retrieval for

large scale utilization. Further, for solar thermal applications like solar water heater, the

desired output is the maximum heat extraction from the storage unit for a long time. This

occurs during the discharging process when the PCM starts to freeze around the HTF tube.

However, the solidified PCM formed near the HTF tube increases the thermal resistance

during discharging.

10

To address the above mentioned issues, different enhancement techniques have been

11

suggested by researchers [4, 6-8]. Some of these techniques include the use of finned tubes,

12

use of high thermal conductive small particles dispersed in a PCM, bubble agitation, micro-

13

encapsulation of the PCM, use of highly porous PCM-filled conductive material, employing

14

multiple families of PCMs. However, the most effective enhancement solution for any

15

application depends on the type of storage configuration, heat transfer fluid and the storage

16

medium (PCM). Due to simplicity, ease in fabrication and low cost of construction, one of

17

the most prospective heat transfer augmentation techniques is the application of fins provided

18

on the PCM side [4]. Enhancement of thermal performance of LHSU using fins has been

19

reported by few researchers in rectangular enclosures [10-17] and cylindrical enclosures [18-

20

19]. A brief review on thermal performance enhancement in shell and tube type LHSU using

21

fins is summarized here.

22

Different fin configurations: circular, longitudinal, rectangular, spiral have been

23

proposed in literature. The configuration of the fins and orientation of the storage system

24

dictates the mechanisms of heat transfer during the phase change process. Early experimental

25

work was reported by Choi and Kim [20] who established experimentally the thermal

26

performance enhancement of PCM filled in radial finned LHSU. Lacroix [21] developed a

27

three-dimensional numerical model to analyze the heat transfer in LHSU using annular fins.

28

It was concluded from his study that annular fins are most effective for moderate HTF flow

29

rates and small inlet temperatures of HTF. However, the enhancement was insignificant for

30

more number of fins even with higher fluid inlet temperature and flow rates of HTF. Zhang

31

and Faghri [22] reported numerical work on heat transfer enhancement in LHSU using a

32

finned tube and had shown that the molten volume fraction can be significantly increased by

33

increasing the fin height.

Seeniraj et al. [23] observed significant improvement in transient behavior of PCM

filled in shell and tube LHSU due to radial fins. Erek et al. [24] reported numerical

investigation of shell and tube LHSU with circular-finned tube and PCM in the annular

space. They analyzed the effect of the fin dimensions (fin space and fin diameter) and the

operating parameters (Reynolds number and HTF inlet temperature) on the solidification and

melting process of the PCM. Liu et al. [25] established numerically that thin fins with smaller

width provide better enhancement rate compared to thicker fins with larger width.

Ermis et al. [9] reported numerical analysis of phase change process in a radial finned

shell and tube LHSU. A feed-forward, back-propagation artificial neural network algorithm

10

was used for establishing thermal behavior of the phase change process. The heat transfer

11

properties of paraffin during charging and discharging process were experimentally

12

investigated by Medrano et al. [26]. A higher average thermal power was achieved for heat

13

stored with fins during the melting process compared to the double pipe heat exchanger with

14

the PCM embedded in a graphite matrix. Agyenim et al. [27] analyzed the influence of

15

circular fins, longitudinal fins and multi-tubes during charging and discharging process of

16

Erythritol as PCM. It was recommended that longitudinal fins are better than the circular fins.

17

From literature, it is apparent that the type, dimensions and number of the fins are key

18

parameters for the melting process and solidification process. In fact, these parameters also

19

influence the amount of PCM that can be stored in an LHSU of fixed dimension. Thus, the

20

dimension, type and fin numbers are selected based on a compromise between the possible

21

heat transfer augmentation and the energy storage requirement [8]. Lacroix and Benmadda

22

[10] analyzed temperature distribution of PCM encapsulated in a rectangular enclosure. The

23

influence of number and size of fins on heat transfer rate during melting process was

24

reported. They reported that installation of lesser number of longer fins (3 fins of 0.03 m long

25

each) is more effective in terms of augmentation in charging rate compared to more number

26

of shorter fins (19 fins of 0.01 m long each). Gharebaghi and Sezai [17] presented a report on

27

performance enhancement in a PCM encapsulated rectangular enclosure due to horizontal

28

fins mounted on vertical heated wall. It was reported that augmentation in heat transfer rate

29

was marginal with increase in number of fins. This is actually due to the fact that increase in

30

number of fins reduces the effective area for the buoyancy driven flow. Hence the charging

31

process tends to be more of a conduction-dominant heat transfer process.

32

Rathod and Banerjee [29, 30] in their experimental study on shell and tube LHSU

33

observed that during discharging process, the solidification front moves in radial direction

34

away from the HTF tube wall. The solidified layer increases the thermal resistance and
3

significantly reduces the heat transfer to the liquid PCM away from the HTF tube. For such

LHSU, longitudinal fins are expected to provide better thermal performance due to more

uniform heat distribution along the test section compared to radial fins. The aim of this study

is to analyze the thermal performance enhancement of LHSU using longitudinal fins on the

PCM side of the HTF tube. The augmentation of heat transfer due to longitudinal fins is

estimated by varying fluid inlet temperature and flow rate of HTF. A comparative

performance analysis of the system is presented for the charging (melting) and discharging

(solidification) processes with and without fins.

9
10

2. Experimental Test Facility

11

The schematic diagram and the photograph of the experimental test facility used for the

12

present analysis are shown in figure 1. The shell and tube type heat exchanger is made of two

13

concentric tubes. The dimensions of the tubes are shown in table 1. In order to reduce the

14

heat loss, thermal insulation is provided on the outer tube with 70 mm thick cerawool. Water

15

is used as HTF. The annulus between the inside and the outside tube is filled with stearic acid

16

as PCM. The hot HTF supplied from a constant temperature bath exchanges its heat and

17

melts the PCM during the charging process. The heat is stored in the molten PCM. On the

18

other hand, during discharging process the cold water as HTF flows through the tube and

19

solidifies the molten PCM. The stored energy is released from the PCM as it solidifies.

20

Performance analysis is first carried out for the LHSU without installation of fins. Influence

21

of varying HTF flow rates and HTF inlet temperatures on thermal performance is evaluated.

22
23
24

Table 1 Dimensions of inner and outer tubes

Figure 1 (a) Schematic diagram (b) Photograph of the experimental set up

25
26

The experimental analysis is extended by developing a second set of test section with

27

longitudinal fins. Considering the conclusion derived by Lacroix and Benmadda [11], three

28

longitudinal fins made of brass are brazed on the outer side of HTF tube. Fins length, width

29

and height are 0.03 m, 0.003 m and 1 m respectively. The fins are equally spaced at 120

30

degrees of angular interval in the radial plane of the HTF tube. This HTF tube along with the

31

fins is placed inside the outer shell. Figure 2 shows schematic diagram of the HTF tube with

32

fins along with fin dimensions.

33
4

1
2

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of HTF unit with fins

Figure 3 Location of temperature probes in shell and tube heat exchanger

3
4

To estimate the thermal performance of the LHSU, temperature variation is measured

with time at different locations in the LHSU during charging and discharging process. Thirty

nine temperature probes are embedded to measure PCM temperature along the radial and

axial directions. For measurement in radial direction, three thermocouples are installed in the

annulus at same axial plane: near the inner tube, at the center and near outer tube. These

locations of thermocouples are shown in figure 3. In order measure along the angular

10

direction, three such temperature probes are placed at equal angular intervals of 120 degree.

11

Similar set of nine probes in r- plane are installed at equal intervals of axial (z) distances of

12

0.2 m as shown (planes A, B, C and D) in figure 3. HTF temperature at inlet and outlet, are

13

measured by thermocouples installed in the upstream and downstream side of the HTF tube.

14

Experimental uncertainties are established using the procedure demonstrated by Kline and

15

McClintock [31]. Using the values of uncertainty in measurement of temperature (0.010C),

16

HTF flow rate (0.05 kg/min) and linear dimension (1 mm), the estimated uncertainty in

17

heat transfer rate is less than 5%.

18
19

3 Results and Discussion

20

A comparative thermal performance assessment of the LHSU with and without installation of

21

fins is estimated in terms of the influence of fluid inlet temperature and HTF flow rate on the

22

total melting/solidification time. The definition of optimum melting temperature as proposed

23

by Bejan [32] is considered in order to select the appropriate HTF inlet temperature for the

24

present analysis. As proposed by Bejan [32], the optimum melting temperature is the

25

geometric mean of inlet temperature of fluid and the temperature of the surroundings.
Tm = T f , inTo

(1)

26

Tf,in and To is the inlet temperature of fluid and the reference temperature in Kelvin, K.

27

Considering the melting point of stearic acid (540C-570C) as the optimum melting

28

temperature and the average ambient between 23-250C, the inlet temperature of fluid

29

according to equation (1) is varied between 800C to 850C in these experiments. The mass

30

flow rate of HTF is varied between 1 kg/min and 5 kg/min such that the influence of HTF

31

flow for laminar and turbulent regime can be established.

32

3.1 Thermal analysis of LHSU without Fins

The temporal variation of PCM temperature at different axial planes for charging process is

shown in figure 4. These variations are shown for 850C of HTF inlet temperature and HTF

flow rates of 2 kg/min and 5 kg/min. Three separate regions: the solid PCM region (where the

PCM is yet to melt), solid-liquid phase transition state and the liquid PCM region (where the

PCM is in molten state) are observed in the figure. In the solid PCM region, energy is

absorbed by PCM in the form of sensible heat and the heat transfer phenomenon is only due

to conduction. As the development of liquid film of molten PCM is initiated during phase

transition, the heat transfer is augmented by natural convection in the melt.

10

During the phase transition period, two types of heat transfer rates may be visualized:

11

(i) the heat being taken up from the HTF, and (ii) the heat being transferred from the molten

12

PCM to the neighboring layer of solid PCM. The temperature at a point remains constant or

13

rises based on the rates of these two processes [29, 30]. Phase transition of stearic acid occurs

14

over a certain range of temperature, called the phase transition range. It can be observed from

15

figure 4 that the phase transition range of stearic acid is between 42-52oC.

16

Figure 4 also shows that once the PCM starts to melt, the temperature of PCM at

17

section A (top section in z-plane in figure 4) rises rapidly. This is contrary to the fact that the

18

temperature gradient is largest at the bottom (section D in figure 4) since HTF inlet

19

temperature is higher at the bottom during charging process. The rapid rise of temperature in

20

section A may be attributed to the following. Initially, a small layer of molten PCM is

21

developed near the tube wall during melting process. This molten layer is set to motion by

22

buoyancy induced convection. In addition, an air-gap is provided at the top of the test unit in

23

order to account for the volumetric expansion/shrinkage during charging and discharging

24

process. Heat is also transferred to this air-gap at the top from HTF tube. The natural

25

convection of the melt and heated air in this air-gap results in the PCM temperature at the top

26

section to reach quickly to the onset temperature for melting. It can be observed from figure 4

27

that the PCM gets completely molten until section A within (approximately) 40% of the total

28

charging time. It can be inferred from figure 4 that the phase front moves faster in the radial

29

direction near the top of the annulus as compared to the bottom. Thus a conical path or

30

traverse of the interface can be visualized in the PCM during charging process. Similar

31

observations are also reported in literature [29, 30, 33-38].

32
33

Figure 4 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit during

34

charging process
6

During the discharge, cold water flows through the HTF tube. The molten PCM in the

annulus solidifies and releases heat and the temperature of HTF increases at the outlet

(bottom) of the pipe. The temporal variation of PCM temperature at the central plane of the

annulus during solidification is shown in figure 5. It can be noted that the PCM temperature

reduces rapidly until it reaches the freezing point of PCM (i.e., 52oC). This is because of

larger temperature difference between the HTF tube and PCM. As the PCM starts to solidify,

the layer of solidified PCM near the tube provides thermal conduction resistance and thus

reduces the heat transfer rate. The thermal conduction resistance increases as freezing front

moves away from the HTF tube. Insignificant PCM temperature variation is however

10

observed at different axial planes of the test unit from figure 5. This is because heat is

11

transferred from hot molten PCM to the circulated cold HTF during discharging process. As

12

the gradient of temperature between the HTF and the hot molten PCM is large initially there

13

is a faster rate of heat transfer and the temperature of molten PCM reduces rapidly. On the

14

other hand as the PCM starts freezing near the HTF pipe, the heat transfer rate from solid

15

PCM to the HTF is uniform along the axial planes due to conduction. Thus the solidification

16

front moves parallel to the axial plane. During the melting process on the contrary, the heat is

17

transferred from HTF to solid PCM. As PCM melts, hot molten PCM near the HTF pipe rises

18

due to buoyancy setting up a natural convection loop. This natural convection loop creates a

19

difference in temperature along the height of the PCM.

20
21
22

Figure 5 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit

during discharging process

23
24

It is worth to be noted here that the total discharging time required is higher than the

25

charging time. This is observed for all fluid inlet temperatures and flow rates of HTF. Similar

26

observations were reported by other researchers [29, 30, 35-37, 39, 40] for different

27

configuration of LHSU using different PCMs.

28
29

3.2 Thermal analysis of LHSU with Fins

30

During the melting process, influence of natural convection in the melt is significant. The hot

31

molten PCM rises to the top due to density gradient. On the contrary, the solidification

32

process is conduction dominant. Therefore, the provision of fins on the PCM side should be

33

to enhance the natural convection during charging and conduction during the discharging.

34
7

3.2.1 Charging Process

In order to assess the influence of fin, melting time is evaluated for the LHSU with fins.

Figures 6 shows the temporal variation of PCM temperature at section A and D during

melting process for finned LHSU and LHSU without fins. The temperature at inlet and flow

rate of HTF is 850C and 5 kg/min respectively. The filled symbols in figure 6 are for LHSU

with fins and unfilled symbols are for LHSU without fins. A rapid increase in temperature of

PCM at section A is observed with fins than that of LHSU without fins. This is because the

longitudinal finned tube is able to transfer heat from HTF quickly. The higher heat transfer

rate induced by the presence of fins near the HTF tube causes faster melting of PCM. Thus,

10

the total melting time is reduced compared to the system without fins. For section A, the

11

melting time is reduced from 2.4 h to 1.65 h due to the fins. For section D, the melting time is

12

reduced from 5.9 h to 4.5 h. The fins accelerate the heat transfer rate from the surface of HTF

13

tube to and through the PCM for all inlet temperatures and flow rates of HTF.

14
15

Figure 6 Temporal variation of PCM temperature for LHSU with and without fins

16

during charging process

17
18

Figure 6 shows that temporal variation of PCM temperature measured by the

19

thermocouples placed in between the two fins are similar for both cases with and without

20

fins. Only the temperature profile is observed to be shifted to the left for the case with fin

21

indicating higher heat transfer rate. This signifies the fact that the shape of the melting front

22

is not influenced by fins. Only the motion of the melting front is increased due to

23

augmentation in heat transfer by fins.

24
25

3.2.2 Discharging Process

26

The temperature distribution of PCM near the inner tube and the variation of average PCM

27

temperature with time during the discharging process are shown in figure 7. Results are

28

shown for the LHSU with and without fins for flow rate of 5 kg/min and inlet temperature of

29

HTF at environment condition. Because of higher average driving temperature difference

30

between the PCM and HTF, steeper decrease in temperature is observed till liquid sensible

31

heat is discharged. The effect of provision of fins is negligible till the molten PCM is

32

completely solidified. It can be seen from figure 7 that solidification rate is improved with the

33

fins. Further, due to the provision of the longitudinal fins, a better thermal contact is

34

established

between

the

liquid

PCM
8

and

the

heat

transfer

surface.

This reduces the thermal resistance offered by the solid PCM between the heat transfer

surface and liquid PCM. Thus, time taken for the average PCM temperature to reach 350C is

reduced from 7.8 h (if fins are not attached) to 5.3 h (if fins are attached to the system). Thus

approximately 32% of solidification time is reduced due to fins. It is also observed that the

temporal variation of PCM temperature near the inner tube for both the cases with and

without fins is similar. Also the variation of average PCM temperature suggests that the heat

transfer takes place uniformly along the radial distance. Thus the freezing front moves in

radial direction parallel to the axis of the test section for both with and without fins.

9
10

Figure 7 Temporal variation of PCM temperature near inner tube and average PCM

11

temperature during discharging process

12
13

3.2.3 Influence of Flow Rate of HTF

14

The influence of flow rates of HTF on the charging time required for the system with and

15

without fins is shown in figure 8. The figure also expresses the temporal variation of PCM

16

temperature at the lower plane of test unit (section D) for varying flow rates of HTF i.e. 2

17

kg/min, 3 kg/min, 4 kg/min and 5 kg/min and 850C of fluid inlet temperature. The filled

18

symbols represent LHSU with fins and unfilled symbols represent LHSU without fins.

19

It can be observed from figure 8 that the time taken to reach to steady state condition is

20

reduced significantly with the provision of fins compared to a system without fins for all

21

mass flow rates of HTF. However, the reduction in time is insignificant with the increase in

22

mass flow rate. This can also be observed from table 2 which shows the time required for the

23

PCM at section D to reach to 650C. The percentage reduction of melting time due to the

24

provision of fins are 19.08%, 23.20%, 22.22% and 24.52% for mass flow rate of 2 kg/min, 3

25

kg/min, 4 kg/min and 5 kg/min respectively. The reduction in time is nominal with the

26

increase in mass flow rate. Thus the increase in mass flow rates has little influence on total

27

melting time for shell and tube type finned LHSU. At higher mass flow rates, the residence

28

time for the HTF is less and the heat transfer surface of HTF tube almost remains at

29

isothermal (Dirichelet) condition.

30
31

Figure 8 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM temperature at

32

section D (a) 2 kg/min (b) 3 kg/min (c) 4 kg/min (d) 5 kg/min

33
34

Table 2 Time required for the PCM at section D to reach 650C

9

Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM temperature at section

D, during the discharging process, is shown in figure 9 for both the cases with and without

fins. From figure 9, it is noticed that the influence of flow rate of HTF on temperature

distribution is negligible for both the cases. The PCM reaches a temperature of 350C after

approximately 6.2 h irrespective of mass flow rate, if the fins are attached to the system. The

time taken for the same is almost 11 h irrespective of mass flow rate, if the fins are not

attached to the system. Hence 43.6% reduction in time is observed by providing fins during

the solidification process.

9
10

Figure 9 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM at section D

Figure 10 Influence of fluid inlet temperature on temporal variation of PCM at

11

section D

12

3.2.4 Influence of Inlet Temperature of HTF

13

The influence of inlet temperature of HTF at section D during charging process for 5 kg/min

14

of HTF flow rate is shown in figure 10. The charging time is significantly reduced even with

15

an increase of 5oC of the HTF inlet temperature. The influence of fluid inlet temperature on

16

charging time for the system with and without fins is shown in figure 10. It is observed that

17

the time required to reach to 65oC in a system with fins is 5.6 h and 4 h respectively for fluid

18

inlet temperatures of 80oC and 85oC. For the system without fins this time is 6.4 h and 5.3 h

19

for HTF inlet temperature of 80oC and 85oC respectively. Therefore, for finned configuration

20

the total melting time reduces as the fluid inlet temperature increases. This is because the

21

higher base temperature of fins increases the potential temperature gradient between fins and

22

PCM. This augments the rate of heat transfer. The percentage decrease in melting time due to

23

provision of fins is 12.5% for a fluid inlet temperature 80oC. Further, the percentage decrease

24

in melting time is 24.52% for a fluid inlet temperature 85oC. The percentage reduction in

25

melting time due to provision of fins is approximately by 50% for a rise of HTF inlet

26

temperature from 80oC to 85oC. This implies that the heat transfer augmentation is more

27

sensitive to increase in fluid inlet temperature compared to the effect of increase in mass flow

28

rate of HTF.

29
30

3.3 Effect of Fins on Exergy Performance of LSHU

31

Energy analysis does not provide guidelines regarding the quality of stored energy in a

32

system. An exergy based second law analysis on the other hand can quantitatively identify

33

the energy destroyed as well as energy lost. There is a lack of literature dealing with exergy
10

analysis of finned systems. As a result, it is not yet established whether the exergy

performance of LHTS is augmented due to provision of fins [41]. In this regard an exergy

analysis of the finned LHSU is presented in this section using the theory of minimization of

entropy generation number. The influence of inlet temperature and flow rates of HTF on

entropy generation number is analyzed for the system with and without fins.

The evaluation of entropy generation number for LHSU requires evaluation of exergy

input and output to/from the system. The exergy input and exergy output is obtained by

evaluating the value of exergy pertaining to PCM and HTF. The exergy rate associated with

HTF during charging process can be expressed as [42],

T
= m HTF C HTF (THTF ,in THTF ,out ) To ln HTF ,in
T
HTF ,out

(2)

10

During the charging process, the exergy stored in the PCM at any instant of time is calculated

11

from the instantaneous rate of heat transfer ( ) as,

Q = m HTF CHTF (THTF ,in THTF ,out )

12

(3)

The expression for rate of exergy stored in PCM is,

T
stored = Q 1 o
TPCM

(4)

13

The initial temperature of PCM is considered as the reference temperature (To). TPCM is the

14

average of temperature values measured at any instant of time. Exergy efficiency is a ratio of

15

rate of exergy stored in PCM to rate of exergy supplied by HTF during melting (charging)

16

process. It is a measure of irreversibilities. Exergy efficiency in the form of exergy

17

destruction is defined as:

Exergy destroyed

Exergy input

= 1

(5)

18

The entropy generation rate is more when the exergy destruction is more. Hence, a term

19

called entropy generation number (Ns) is introduced to represent the ratio of exergy destroyed

20

to exergy input. This is related to exergy efficiency as

= 1 Ns

(6)

21

Entropy generation number is evaluated using equations (2-6) for varying flow rates and inlet

22

temperatures of HTF at constant average PCM temperature in order to compare the system

23

performance with and without fins. A detail description of the procedure for evaluating

24

entropy generation number is presented in [43].

11

1
2

Table 3 Entropy generation number at Tpcm = 65oC for LHSU with and without fins

3
4

Table 3 shows the entropy generation number obtained for LHSU with and without fins.

The enhancement in exergy performance of LHSU with the provision of fins in terms of

reduction in the entropy generation number is shown in table 3. The variation of entropy

generation number with the mass flow rates is insignificant for both the cases with and

without fins. However, a reduction in entropy generation number in LHSU with fins is

observed compared to the system having no fins for the same mass flow rate of the HTF. It is

10

also noted that the percentage reduction in entropy generation number is almost same for all

11

flow rates for the fluid inlet temperature of 800C. However, for the fluid inlet temperature of

12

850C, percentage reduction in entropy generation number is 7.1% for flow rate of 2 kg/min.

13

This value is obtained as 12.9% for mass flow rate of 5 kg/min. Thus, it is concluded that the

14

reduction in the entropy generation number using fins is more for lesser HTF inlet

15

temperature.

16

In a nutshell, with the provision of fins, the entropy generation number is reduced and

17

thus higher exergy performance can be achieved. However, it is worth to be noticed that the

18

minimum entropy generation number can be obtained at lower fluid inlet temperatures and

19

lower mass flow rates of HTF.

20
21

4. Conclusions

22

The enhancement in total melting/solidification time for shell and Tube LHSU with

23

longitudinal fins is analyzed. Exergy based analysis in terms of entropy generation number is

24

also reported to establish the influence of HTF inlet temperature and flow rates on exergy

25

performance of LHSU with and without fins. The percentage decrease in melting time due to

26

provision of fins is 12.5% and 24.52% for a fluid inlet temperature 80oC and 85oC

27

respectively. About 43.6% reduction in time is observed due to installation of three

28

longitudinal fins during the solidification process. Higher reduction in entropy generation

29

number is observed for the LHSU with fins at lower HTF inlet temperatures.

30
31

Acknowledgement

32

Authors acknowledge the financial support provided by S V National Institute of Technology

33

for the development of the experimental test facility used for this research.

34
12

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16

Table(s)

TABLE CAPTIONS
Table 1 Dimensions of inner and outer tubes
Table 2 Time required for PCM at section D to reach 650C
Table 3 Entropy generation number at Tpcm = 65oC for LHSU with and without fins

17

Table 1 Dimensions of inner and outer tubes

Inner diameter

Outer diameter

Length

Material

Inner tube

0.033 m

0.035 m

1m

Brass

Outer tube

0.128 m

0.133 m

1m

Stainless steel

18

Table 2 Time required for the PCM at section D to reach 650C

Mass flow rate

Melting time

Melting time

[kg/min]

(without fins) [h]

(with fins) [h]

6.55

5.3

19.08%

6.25

4.8

23.20%

5.85

4.55

22.22%

5.3

4.0

24.52%

19

% decrease in time

Table 3 Entropy generation number at Tpcm = 65oC for LHSU with and without fins
Fluid inlet

Mass flow

Entropy generation

Percentage

temperature,

rate, mf

number, Ns

reduction in

Tf,in [oC]

[kg/s]

Without fins

With fins

Ns

80

1
2
3
4
5

0.22
0.25
0.26
0.26
0.27

0.19
0.21
0.22
0.22
0.23

13.6%
16.0%
15.4%
15.4%
14.8%

85

2
3
4
5

0.28
0.29
0.31
0.31

0.26
0.26
0.27
0.27

7.1%
10.3%
12.9%
12.9%

20

Figure(s)

FIGURE CAPTIONS
Figure 1 (a) Schematic diagram (b) Photograph of the experimental set up
Figure 2 Schematic diagram of HTF unit with fins
Figure 3 Location of temperature probes in shell and tube heat exchanger
Figure 4 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit during charging
process
Figure 5 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit during discharging
process
Figure 6 Temporal variation of PCM temperature for LHSU with and without fins during
charging process
Figure 7 Temporal variations of PCM temperature near inner tube

and average PCM

temperature during discharging process

Figure 8 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM temperature at section D
(a) 2 kg/min (b) 3 kg/min (c) 4 kg/min (d) 5 kg/min
Figure 9 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM at section D
Figure 10 Influence of fluid inlet temperature on temporal variation of PCM at section D

21

(a)

(b)

1. Inner tube

2. Outer tube with insulation

3. HTF pipe

4. Hot water bath

5. Cold water bath

6. Rotameter

7. Circulation pump

8, 9. Manual operated valve

10. Outlet vent

11. Inlet hopper

12. Temperature scanner with PC

Figure 1 (a) Schematic diagram (b) Photograph of the experimental set up

22

Figure 2 The schematic diagram of HTF unit with fins

23

Figure 3 Location of temperature probes in shell and tube heat exchanger

24

Region III
Region III

Region II

Region II

Region I
Region I

(a)

(b)

Figure 4 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit during charging
process

25

(a)

(b)

Figure 5 Temporal variation of PCM temperature at mid plane of test unit during discharging
process

26

Figure 6 Temporal variation of PCM temperature for LHSU with and without fins during
charging process

27

Figure 7 Temporal variation of PCM temperature near inner tube and average PCM
temperature during discharging process

28

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 8 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM temperature at section D
(a) 2 kg/min (b) 3 kg/min (c) 4 kg/min (d) 5 kg/min

29

Figure 9 Influence of flow rates of HTF on temporal variation of PCM at section D

30

Figure 10 Influence of fluid inlet temperature on temporal variation of PCM at section D

31