Investigating the effects of hybrid nanoparticles on solid-liquid phase change process in a Y-shaped fin-assisted LHTESS by means of FEM

Abstract

Abstract The Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Systems (LHTESS) are widely used in different applications to make a balance between the energy requirement and energy supply. In this study, the effect of dispersing hybrid nanoparticles into the pure Phase Change Material (PCM) and making Hybrid Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Material (HNEPCM) on the solidification process in a LHTESS enhanced with Y-shaped fins is investigated. In order to enhance the thermal conductivity of system, TiO2\u202f−\u202fCu nanoparticles are added to water which is considered as PCM. Moreover, Y-shaped fins are attached to inner wall to enhance the thermal penetration depth. The effect of geometric parameters of Y-shaped fins including the bifurcation angle and fin length on the solidification process is investigated. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is applied to simulate the unsteady heat and mass transfer during the solidification process. Moreover, Response Surface Method (RSM) is applied to obtain a correlation for full solidification time as a function of nanoparticle shape factor, fin bifurcation angle and fin length. Results illustrated that by enhancing the fin length and fin bifurcation angle, the average temperature and total energy of the system experience lower values, while the solid fraction increases.