Final Synopsis Ppt Pallab 2-6-23 1pm

Synopsis Seminar
on
Numerical Analysis of Latent Heat Thermal Storage for
Thermo-heightened Performance
Presented by Under the Supervision of

PALLAB BHATTACHARJEE Dr. Sujit Nath & Dr. Dipankar Bhanja
Registration no:17-3-02-121 Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Silchar
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Publications
Introduction
Conclusion Literature Review
Placement of Fin at different locations with
in the PCM square container (Study of
solidification behavior)
Research Gap
PCM in a square enclosure with single wall

cooling having Constant temperature cooling
(Study of solidification behavior) Objectives
PCM in a Trapezoidal enclosure having
constant temperature heating wall (Study of Methodology
melting behavior)
Placement of Fin at different locations with in the PCM Analysis of melting behavior of PCM within a
square container (Study of melting behavior) square enclosure having different wall heating
conditions
Friday, June 2, 2023 National Institute of Technology Silchar 2
INTRODUCTION
• The global economy's continuous growth and development has led to an

increased demand of energy and energy storage.
• Fossil fuels have been the primary source of energy for a long time, but
their limited resources and fluctuating prices make it challenging to
guarantee a consistent supply. Additionally, the use of fossil fuels is
detrimental to the environment due to the emission of harmful gases that
contribute to global warming.
• In recent time pandemic in 2019 and Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted

global supply chain. This has led to the excessive price hike and energy
security issues globally.
• To address these issues, scientists and engineers worldwide have focused on

developing renewable energy sources to reduce environmental hazards and
the cost of energy generation and energy storage.
• Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are critical technologies that can aid
in the adaptation of renewable energies.
• Thermal energy reservoir store excess energy that would otherwise go to Figure 1.1: Applications of Thermal Energy reservoir [1 ]
waste, bridging the gap between energy requirements and generation. For
instance, solar thermal energy can be stored during peak hours and used
during
Friday, off-peak
June 2, 2023 hours using TES systems. National Institute of Technology Silchar 3
Different varieties of Thermal Energy Reservoir INTRODUCTION contd..

Thermal Energy Storages INTRODUCTION contd..
Sensible Heat Thermal Energy Storage Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage
• Sensible Heat Storage is a type of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) • The latent heat storage, uses phase change process to store energy
that involves the release of energy by a material as its in Thermal Energy Storage (TES).
temperature decreases or absorption of energy by a material as its
temperature increases. • This involves storing energy in materials called Phase Change
Materials (PCMs), which store thermal energy during the
transition from solid to liquid, or liquid to vapour, without any
• Common materials used in Sensible Heat Storage systems change in temperature.
include rocks, ground, or water, with thermal energy stored by
raising the temperature of the storage medium.
• The design of these systems considers the specific heat of
solidification/fusion or vaporization, as well as the temperature at
which the phase change occurs.
• The effectiveness of Sensible Heat Storage is determined by the
specific heat of the storage material and, its density if volume is
considered. • It is possible to use both sensible and latent heat TES in the same
material. PCMs are often stored in specialized containers such as
shells, tubes, or shallow panels.

INTRODUCTION contd..
Advantages of using PCM in TES/ advantages Advantages of using solid-liquid phase change
of LHTES process over other phase change process in
LHTES
• LHTES systems can be categorized based on the type of phase
Compared to Sensible Energy Storage, Latent Heat Thermal transformation involved, including liquid-gas, solid-gas, solid-
Energy Storage (LHTES) offer certain advantages solid, and solid-liquid transformations.
• TES systems that involve liquid-gas or solid-gas phase
 Higher thermal storage capacities transformations are impractical due to the large volume
 Relatively constant temperatures during requirements, volumetric changes during the phase transition,
charging and discharging and high pressure of the system.
 Chemical and thermal stability • TES systems that use solid-solid phase change materials
(PCMs) rely on the heat associated with the transformation
between different crystalline forms of the material for storing
thermal energy. Compared to solid-liquid PCMs, the heat of
phase transition in solid-solid PCMs is relatively lower.
Example poly-alcohol, poly-urethanes, cross linked poly-
ethylene etc.
• Solid-liquid or liquid–solid phase change process is generally
used in TES as it requires less volume during phase change.

Classification of PCM based on chemical composition INTRODUCTION contd..
Phase Change Material
Organic PCM Inorganic PCM Eutectic
Non Inorganic-
Paraffin Organic -organic Inorganic Organic
Paraffin Salt Hydrate Metalics inorganic

Desirable properties of PCM INTRODUCTION contd..
 Physical properties
Chemical properties
Favorable phase equilibrium Long-term chemical stability
High density Compatibility with materials of construction
Small volume change No toxicity
Low vapor pressure No fire hazard
 Economics
 Kinetic properties Abundant
No supercooling Available
Sufficient crystallization rate Cost effective
Lower thermal conductivity

Limitations of PCM leads to very high charging
and discharging time

Advancement of LHTES INTRODUCTION contd..
Different Researchers have studied different methods for improving

performance of LHTES
 Changing orientation of PCM container
 Changing shape of PCM container
 Using extended surfaces
 Using different boundary condition or heating strategies
 Incorporation of conductive Nano-particle
 Incorporation of Metal Matrix etc.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Sl. Authors / journals Key findings

No
1. Kamkari and Amlashi [1],  For complete melting 0º and 45 º enclosures take 52% and 37% shorter
International Communications of Heat time respectively in comparison with vertical enclosure
and Mass Transfer
2. Biwole et al.[2]  They found that increasing the number of fin reduces the temperature of
International Journal of Thermal the plate and also accelerates melting process in rectangular enclosure
Sciences
3. Ji et al.[3]  Minimum melting time was obtained for 15ºdownward tilted fin
Applied Thermal Engineering
4. Asl et al.[4]  Porous fins are more effective with high raleigh number and with highly
International Journal of heat and mass conductive material
transfer
5. Ebadi et al. [5]  Adding copper oxide nanoparticles improved the melting at later stage
Energy Conservation and Management when dispersion of nanoparticle starts

LITERATURE REVIEW contd.
Sl.No Authors/journal Key Findings
6. Arena et al.[6]  Substantial reduction in the duration of the TES (up to 50%) process against a small
Renewable Energy decrease in stored energy (upto 30%) has been noticed for partial loading
7. Shokouhmand and  Conduction is dominant at the beginning but convection is dominant in the later part of
Kamkari [7] melting
Experimental Thermal and  Convection heat transfer in the later stage also reduces due to thermal stratification.
Fluid Science
8. Seddegh et al. [8]  During the charging process of phase change materials (pcms), convective heat transfer has
Applied Thermal Engineering a more pronounced effect on melting the upper section of solid PCM in the horizontal
orientation, while its influence is comparatively less significant for the lower half of solid
PCM.
 In the vertical orientation, convective heat transfer is active throughout the entire charging
process.
 In the discharging process, there is no discernable difference in thermal behavior between
horizontal and vertical systems.
9. Sharif et al. [9]  Studied the melting behavior of a phase change material (PCM) when subjected to a heated
International Journal of Heat rod placed concentrically within a vertical cylindrical enclosure has been obtained through
and Mass Transfer experiments. Experimental findings indicate that even slight tilting of the test cell has a
significant impact on the local temperature measurements within the PCM and on the solid
morphology evolution during melting.

Sl. Authors/journal Key Findings
No
10 Srikanth and Balaji  Investigated the heat transfer performance of a PCM based pin fin heat sink with discrete heating.
International Journal of  The results demonstrate that the hotspots induced by the non-uniform heat flux have a significant
Thermal Sciences impact on the heat sink's performance.
 A multi-objective optimization approach using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm ii
(nsga-ii) found optimal combination of discrete power levels that extends the charging period and
minimizes the discharging period of the heat sink simultaneously.
11 Baby and Balaji [11]  Studied experimentally the thermal performance of a PCM heat sink under different heat loads.
International Journal of  The study conducts experiments at a constant power level of 5-10w, with intermittent heat loads
Thermal Sciences applied by keeping the input heat constant.
 By using an intermittent pcm-based heat sink for a constant operation time of 80 minutes, but with
varying total heat input, a significant temperature reduction is observed, especially at higher power
levels.
12 Qianjun Mao et al. [12]  Conducted a study comparing the performance of cylindrical and truncated cone thermal energy
Applied Thermal storage (TES) tanks under identical operating conditions.
Engineering  The findings revealed that the tes performance of the truncated cone tank was superior to that of the
conventional cylindrical tank, with a reduction in total melting time of approximately 30.69%.
 The study also analyzed the melting process for four truncated cone models, and determined that the
model with a taper of 0.2072 exhibited the highest heat storage efficiency.

Sl. Authors/journal Key Findings
No
13 Hekmat et al.[13]  Studied the influence of energy storage container geometry on the melting and solidification of PCM.
International Among different studied cases downward trapeze and the horizontal ellipse shows the highest melting
Communications in and solidification rate.
Heat and Mass Transfer  The results also indicated that nanoparticles were more efficient in the melting process where a 48%
improvement was found. The adding fins mostly affected the solidification time by up to 46%.
14 Nie et al. [14]  Conducted a study on how the arrangement and parameters of fins affect the consecutive melting and
Journal of Energy solidification of phase change material (PCM) in a latent heat storage unit.
Storage  The study found that when using the same volume of fins, longer fins are more effective in enhancing
heat transfer for consecutive charging and discharging than shorter fins.
 The increase in the number and length of fins has a greater impact on the solidification process than the
melting process
15 Mahdi and Nsofor  Focused on using nanoparticles and fins to enhance the solidification of phase change material (PCM)
[15] in a heat exchanger.
Applied Energy  Their findings showed a significant reduction in pcm solidification time, with the use of fins alone
proving to be more effective than either nanoparticles alone or a combination of fins and nanoparticles.
 The study also revealed that natural convection plays a crucial role in the early stages of solidification
but becomes less significant as the process continues, with conduction being the dominant mode of heat
transfer throughout.

Sl.N Authors/journal Key Findings
o
16 Yu et al.[16]  Studied microencapsulation of n-octadecane phase change material with calcium carbonate
Applied Thermal Engineering shell to study to enhance thermal conductivity and durability.
 The microencapsulated n-octadecane also exhibited good phase-change performance and
achieved a high thermal storage capability, thermal stability and higher thermal conductivity.
17 Kumar et al. [17]  Studied the latent heat thermal energy storage with high porosity metal matrix under
Applied Energy intermittent heat loads. It is found that at a porosity of 0.85, the fluctuation in HTF outlet
temperature is less with an improvement in cumulative energy fraction.

INFERENCES DRAWN
• Changing the orientation of the PCM reservoir can influence natural convection, which affects the melting process.
• The use of fin can improve the solidification and melting performance of PCM-containers.
• The review emphasizes the significance of surface area in improving heat transfer rate and suggests that configurations
promoting natural convection result in higher melting rates.
• The literature review suggests that the addition of nanoparticles increases the thermal conductivity and reduces
solidification time.
• The article discusses various boundary conditions that researchers commonly study, such as isothermal, heat flux and
convective boundary conditions.
• Heat flux boundary conditions can be uniform or non-uniform, and some researchers have studied the impact of non-
uniform heat flux on heat transfer and thermal energy storage.
• Researchers also investigate the impact of innovative fins and nanoparticles on the solidification of PCM, and the heat
transfer performance of PCM-based pin fin heat sinks with discrete heating.
• Researchers studying the melting of phase change materials (PCMs) often use different container shapes such as
rectangular cavities, spherical capsules, vertical and horizontal tubes or cylinders, and annular cavities, Triplex tube
container.

RESEARCH GAP
• Study of melting and solidification process of PCM for different wall heating
strategies in a square enclosure
• Study the effect of the variable heat flux on melting process of PCM in a square
enclosure
• Study the effect of use of different shaped fins on melting process of PCM
• Study the effect of geometric variation of the container on the melting process of
PCM
• Study the effect of different fin shapes on PCM solidification process in a square
enclosure

OBJECTIVES
Based on Melting behavior of PCM
1. To analyse the melting behaviour of PCM within a square enclosure having different wall heating conditions
2. To enhance the melting performance of PCM using different fins placed at different locations within the container
3. To analyze the melting behavior of PCM in a Trapezoidal enclosure with optimum oblique angle with single and double wall heating having
various Constant temperature heating wall
4. To analyze the solidification behavior of PCM in a square enclosure with single wall cooling (Top wall/ Bottom wall/ Side 48wall) having
constant temperature cooling
Based on Solidification of PCM
5. To analyze the solidification behavior of PCM in a square enclosure with fins (rectangular /T-
shaped)
with single wall isothermal cooling
GOVERNING EQUATIONS
 is density of the PCM
Continuity Equation
   is dynamic viscosity of the PCM
   u   0
t p is pressure
Momentum Equation T is temperature of the PCM
  k is thermal conductivity of the PCM
 u
t


  
  u   u    u  u   p  F

T
 cp is specific heat of the PCM


F is the body force term
Energy Equation
 is velocity vector of the liquid PCM
T  u
cp   c pu  T   k T 
t

GOVERNING EQUATIONS contd.
Specific Heat Capacity Method

For modeling of melting process, Energy equation is modified using specific heat capacity formulation as
1 
cp  1     phase1c p, phase1    phase 2c p, phase 2   L Effective specific heat of the PCM
 T
k  1    k phase1   k phase 2 Effective thermal conductivity of the PCM
  1     phase1    phase 2 Effective density of the PCM
 1 Tm 
where  is melt fraction ranges from 0 to 1  
2
; T  T m 
2 
 
1      phase1
1    Tm Tm 
T  Ts  is mass fraction  
phase 2
; T   T  T  
 2  m
2
m
2 
Tm  Ts
 1 Tm 
 ; T  Tm  
Phase change takes place in temperature interval of  2 2 
2ºC Friday, June 2, 2023 National Institute of Technology Silchar 19
 
Buoyancy term Fb  g l  T  Tm 
Body force terms

 
Volume force term Fv   A T  u
Where l , g ,  and Tm are density of liquid state PCM, gravitational acceleration, thermal expansion
coefficient and melting temperature respectively
1   
2
A T   Amushy The magnitude of A(T) is large in the solid form of PCM, when the melt
 3
  fraction approaches zero , but its value tends to zero for liquid form of PCM.
Where the constant Amush y and  have the value of 105 and 10-3 respectively
 T   l 1  A T  Viscosity is customized

Heat line equations

 2 H  2 H Ex E y Poisson equation of heat function
 2  
x 2
y y x
 T 
 c u T  k
 Ex   p x x 
    
 E y    c p u yT  k T 
 y 
 
Boundary conditions Initial condition

No slip boundary condition at the walls, u x  0; u y  0
Initial condition of the system:
Isothermal boundary at heated wall, T  Tw T  295 K at t = 0
Other walls are kept insulated, T  0
n
MESH ARRANGEMENT AND GRID INDEPENDENCY TEST
Without fin With fin
Figure 3.1: Mesh arrangements of the PCM and the

square enclosure with and without fin
Figure 3.2: Grid independency test results

VALIDATION OF PRESENT WORK
Melting Solidification
Without fin
Figure 3.3: Validation of numerical work with

experimental work done with rectangular container by Figure 3.4: Validation of solidification process Al-Abidi [20]
Shokouhmand and Kamkari [19]
Objective 1
ANALYSIS OF PCM WITHIN A SQUARE ENCLOSURE HAVING

DIFFERENT WALL HEATING CONDITIONS
DESCRIPTION OF MODEL
Isothermal heating surface Uniform and varying heat flux at different locations
at different locations PCM: Lauric acid
Dimension of square
qy qy container: 60mm× 60mm
Case 1 qy
y y PCM properties
Case 1 (ii) Case 1 (iii) Case 1 (iv)
Case 1 (i) c p,s 2180 J/(kg·K)
c p ,l 2390 J/(kg·K)
s 940 kg/m3
Case 2 l 885 kg/m3
qx qx
x L 187.2 kJ/kg
Case 2 (i) Case 2 (ii) Case 2 (iii)
ks 0.16 W/m.K
q kl 0.14 W/m.K
qy
qy
y
 8×10-3 Pa·s
y y y
Case 3  8×10-4 K-1
x qx
x qx
x qx Tm 316.65K
Case 3 (i) Case 3 (ii) Case 3 (iii) 25
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Case 1
Case 2
Figure 3.5: Melt fraction variation with Figure 3.6: Melt fraction variation with
heating at different positions heating at different positions
Case 3

Uniform heating at various positions RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
1800 s 3600 s
 Heating from the side wall shows the highest melting rate
among different wall heating positions.
Case 1  At the beginning of melting process heating from bottom

wall shows higher melting rate than heating from side wall.
At the beginning of convection process, the convective
current encounters lesser restrictions in bottom wall
heating as compared to side wall heating.
 Convective current is confined in the bottom portion of the

Case 2 container for bottom wall heating. On the contrary in case of
side wall heating convective current passes through the
narrow channel produced by melting of PCM.
 For side wall heating the interface between liquid and solid
PCM increases significantly at the later stage of melting.
This increases the convective heat transfer significantly.
Case 3
Figure 3.7: Liquid fraction contour plots at 1800 s and 3600 s

27
Uniform and varying heat flux at side wall RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Melt fraction Heatlines

Case 1 (i)
Case 1 (i) qy
qy
Case 1 (ii)
Case 1 (ii)
qy
Case 1 (iii)
Case 1 (iii)
Figure 3.9: Effect of variable heat flux on side y

wall heating
Gradually decreasing heat flux (Case 1(iii)) Case 1 (iv)

transfers more heat to the lower part of the
Case 1 (iv)
container, so it enhances the melting process
Figure 3.8: Liquid fraction and heatlines at 1800 s

28
Uniform and varying heat flux at bottom wall RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 2 (i)
Case 2 (i)
qx
Case 2 (ii)
Case 2 (ii)
x
qx
Figure 3.11: Effect of different heat flux
Case 2 (iii)
distribution on bottom wall heating

Case 2(iii)
Like side wall heating, gradually increasing heat
flux condition provides faster melting than
Figure 3.10: Liquid fraction and uniform and sinusoidal heating conditions
heatlines at 1800 s
uniform and varying heat flux on double wall RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 3 (i)
qy
y
Case 3 (i)
x qx
qy
Case 3 (ii)
Case 3 (ii)
x qx
Figure 3.13: Effect of different heat flux

Case 3 (iii)
qy
distribution on double wall heating Case 3 (iii)
y
For the same heat input double wall heating with
the combination i.e., gradually decreasing heat
x qx
Figure 3.12: Liquid fraction and flux on left vertical wall ( for the side wall heating)
heatlines at 1800 s and gradually increasing heat flux (for bottom
wall heating) provides the faster melting 30
Note Worthy Findings
 Highest melting is observed in case of side wall heating. Top wall heating results in least melting
advancement as only conduction is the predominant mode of heat conduction for this case .
 Double wall heating shows the highest melting rate followed by side wall heating and bottom wall
heating.
 Between the side wall heating and bottom wall heating with uniform heat flux, side wall heating
gives a higher melting rate.
 Among different heat distributions of side wall heating gradually decreasing heat flux, gives the
highest melting rate. This distribution of heat (case 1(iii)) actually transfers more heat to the lower
part of the container, so it enhances the melting process.
 For different heat distributions at bottom wall heating, gradually increasing heat flux (case 2(ii))
gives the highest melting rate. For gradually increasing heat flux (case 2(ii)), the shape of the cavity
is triangular which gives more space with the intense convective circulation that leads to a higher
melting rate.
Objective 2
ENHANCEMENT OF MELTING PERFORMANCE OF PCM USING

DIFFERENT FINS PLACED AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WITHIN
THE CONTAINER
Schematic of different cases of PCM with rectangular fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Contd.
Rectangular Fin
Table 4.1: Geometric dimensions of rectangular fin,

length of the container (l) 0.06m
Case 1 Case 3
Case 2 Case 4
33
Schematic of different cases of PCM with T-shaped fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Contd.
T-shaped fin
Table 4.2: Geometric dimensions of T-shaped fin, length
of the container (l) 0.06m
Case 5 Case 6
Case 7

Rectangular fins RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Figure 4.2: Variation of melt fraction of PCM using rectangular fin with
Figure 4.1: Validation of numerical work (a) same geometric dimension but different positions (b) same position
with experimental work done with single but different geometric dimension
finned rectangular enclosure by Kamkari
Up to 80% melting process, horizontal rectangular fin positioned at a
and Shokouhmand [25]
lower height of the side wall (case 3(i)) gives the highest melting rate.
Melting time of the horizontal fin is much higher than the vertical
fin of the same dimension and orientation
Melt fraction & heatlines for rectangular fins RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Melt fraction Heatlines Melt fraction Heatlines
Case 3 (i)
Case 1 (i)
Case 2 (i)
Case 4 (i)
Figure 4.3: Liquid fraction and heatlines at 3600s A horizontal rectangular fin placed at a lower
using rectangular fin in PCM container height (case 3(i)) reduces the melting rate
Case 5 (i)
Case 5 (ii)
T-shaped fins RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 5 (iv) Case 6 (iv) Case 7 (iv)
Figure 4.5: Temperature contour (K) in T-shape fin at 3600s (a)

Case 5 (iii)
Case 5 (iv)
Figure 4.6: Heatlines in T-shape fin at 3600s (b)
Figure 4.7: Variation of melt fraction of T-shaped fin (a) various positions with same
Figure 4.4: Melt fraction of T-shaped
fin of different geometric dimensions
geometric dimensions (b) same position with various geometric dimensions 37
Comparison between rectangular and T-shape fins RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Table 4.4: Complete melting time for different cases
with vertical fin and bottom wall heating
• T-shaped fins of appropriate
dimensions are better than
rectangular fins of similar
orientation.
• A T-shaped fin placed in the

middle of the horizontal
wall is better than a
rectangular fin placed in the
middle.
• Vertical T-shaped fin case

Figure 4.8: Melt fraction of T-shape fin and 6(iv) has the least melting
rectangular fin time of 2450s, among all the
case studies.
• The T-shaped fin placed in a

vertical direction melts the
PCM on both sides
symmetrically.
Table 4.3: Complete melting time for different cases with
vertical fin and bottom wall heating
38
 T-shaped fins of appropriate dimensions are better than rectangular fins of similar orientation. A T-
shaped fin placed in the middle of the horizontal wall is better than a rectangular fin placed in the
middle. Vertical T-shaped fin case 6(iv) has the least melting time among all the case studies.
 Up to 80% melting process, horizontal rectangular fin positioned at a lower height of the side wall gives
the highest melting rate.
 A horizontal rectangular fin placed at a lower height reduces the melting time in comparison with no fin
case in the side wall.
 The melting time of the horizontal fin is much higher than the vertical fin of the same dimension and
orientation. Though, at the beginning of melting horizontal fin performs better than the vertical one
because of the higher convection heat transfer.
 Higher length and a higher base thickness of fin lead to a higher melting rate of PCM in the container.

Objective 3
Analysis of the melting behavior of PCM in a Trapezoidal enclosure
with optimum oblique angle with single and Double wall heating
having constant temperature heating wall
Trapezoidal PCM enclosures RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Figure 5.2: Grid independency

test
Configuration(a) Configuration(b)
Configuration(c)
Figure 5.3: Validation of
present numerical work with
Figure 5.1: Schematic of PCM enclosures experimental work done with
under isothermal bottom wall heating rectangular enclosure by
(a) trapezoidal with ˂90º, (b) Square (c) Shokouhmand and Kamkari
trapezoidal with ˃90º
Liquid fraction and the heatlines at different time steps RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
As the distance of the top wall from the

bottom wall increases for lower
inclination (θ) the melting front takes a
longer time to reach the top wall. On the
contrary, for a higher inclination angle (θ)
the corner portion of trapezoidal cavities
melts after a long time.

Heatline contour of PCM inside various shaped containers RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
For trapezium with a lower value of ‘θ’

i.e. for 80º or 90º inclination angle
distorted and the number of convective
circles are created. These distorted
convective circles and small-sized circles
actually reduce convective heat transfer
or average Nu. Bigger and distinct
convective circulations are seen for
trapezium with 120º inclination angle.

Variation of melt-fraction and Nu RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Variation of Melting-Fraction with time Temporal Variation of average Nusselt

number at bottom wall surface
(heating surface)

Variation of total stored energy RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
The total amount of stored thermal energy

during the melting process
t .
E   Q t  dt
o
where, Q(t) is the instantaneous heat transfer

through the bottom wall to the PCM container
. L
 T 
Q(t )  L   k  dx
Temporal variation of total stored energy 0
 y  y 0

 For trapezium with a lower value of inclination angle θ i.e. for 80ᵒ or 90ᵒ inclination angle, the number
of convective circles with distorted shapes are created. These distorted convective circles and small-
sized circles actually reduce convective heat transfer or average Nu.
 The least melting time is noticed in 120ᵒ inclined trapezium. Formations of bigger convective
circulations are responsible for a higher melting rates. Also the distance between the top wall and from
the bottom wall is optimum.
 Increasing inclination angle θ beyond 120ᵒ reduces the melting rate.
 Complete melting time for inclination angle 90ᵒ and Inclination angle120ᵒ of trapezoidal shaped
cavities have been improved by 11% and14% respectively.

Objective 4
Analysis of the solidification behavior of PCM in a square enclosure
with single wall cooling (Top wall/ Bottom wall/ Side wall) having
constant temperature
Solidification of PCM in Square enclosure RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
Figure 6.2: Grid independency Figure 6.3: Validation
test
Figure 6.1: Schematic of different

cases National Institute of Technology Silchar 48
Comparison of solidification RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
Figure 8: Different wall cooling solidification

Uniform cooling at various positions RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Side Upper Bottom Wall
wall wall
Major findings
20000 s
• Side wall cooling shows a little higher solidification

rate than top wall cooling. This happens because
convection current, moves from bottom of the
container to the top of the container.
• For top wall cooling the cooler PCM also moves

40000 s
downward thus creating convection current. This

convection enhances the heat transfer rate and thus
accelerates the solidification process.
• For the bottom wall cooling, heavier cooled liquid

PCM resides in the bottom of the container, thus
80000 s
doesn’t promote natural convection. As a result heat

transfer rate is lesser and took very long time for
solidification.
National Institute of Technology Silchar 50

Objective 5
Analysis of the solidification behavior of PCM in a square
enclosure with fins (rectangular /T-shaped) with single wall
isothermal cooling
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Table 7.1: Geometric dimensions of rectangular fin,

length of the container (l) 0.06m
Case 1 Case 2
Case 3 Case 4
Figure 7.1: Schematic of different cases

Schematic of different cases of PCM with T-shaped fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Table 7.2: Geometric dimensions of T-shaped fin, length

of the container (l) 0.06m
Case 5 Case 6
Case 7
Figure 7.2: Schematic of different cases

Solidification with rectangular fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
(a) (b)
Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
Case 4
Figure 7.3: Solid fraction variation using rrectangular fin (a) different cases with same
geometric dimension (b) same case with different geometric dimensions

Melt fraction contour of rectangular fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
case case case case
1(i) 1(i) 1(i) 1(i) Major findings
In solidification, generally, the

7200s
conduction is more effective
As time elapses, the cooling

surface i.e. wall and fin gets
covered with solidified PCM.
14400s
Over the time, liquid PCM

moves downward and lighter
warm PCM moves up. Thus the
colder and denser PCM moves
downward, which gives rise to
the PCM thermal stratification
and enhances solidification rate
21600s
at the bottom of the container as

shown in figure

Solidification with T-shaped fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
(a) (b)
Figure 7.4: Solid fraction variation using T-shaped fin (a) different cases with same
geometric dimension (b) same case with different geometric dimensions
Case 5 Case 6 Case 7

PCM solid fraction front for T Shape fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Contd.
case case case
5(i) 6(i) 7(i)
Major findings
3600s
It can be seen in the solidification front in

figure, that vertical and horizontal fin has
almost similar solidification front. It
Grows symmetrically on both side of the
fin for horizontal and vertical fins. For
7200s
horizontal fin, down sided part of the

flange has higher solidification rate as
colder and heavier PCM moves to the
bottom part due to gravity.
10800s
Friday, June 2, 2023 National Institute of Technology Silchar

57
Effect of Geometry in T shaped fin RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 5
Figure 7.5: solidification variation of T shaped fin with different dimensions

T Shaped fin and Rectangular fin comparison RESULTS AND DISCUSSION contd.
Case 1
Case 5
Fig. 7.5: Comparison of solid fraction between rectangular and T-shaped fin

 Horizontal fin placed at middle (case 1(i)) of the container has highest solidification rate. For solidification process
as conduction is the dominant mode of heat transfer, symmetrical placement of fin gives the best result.
 For horizontal fin, maximum area is there below the fin in comparison with vertical fin. This helps in promoting
natural convection, at the lower part of PCM container below the fin. Thus improve the solidification process to
little extent.
 At the start of the process, the natural convection has significant influence but after some time the effects of natural
convection decrease.
 As time elapses, the cooling surface i.e. wall and fin gets covered with solidified PCM. Over the time, liquid PCM
moves downward and lighter warm PCM moves up.
 Horizontal and vertical T-shaped fin of same geometrical dimension (i) gives almost similar solidification rate. This
signifies that the impact of convection current is very much negligible.
 Horizontal T-shaped fin gives little higher solidification rate for T-shaped fin with shorter stem length.

CONCLUSIONS
• Double wall heating shows the highest melting rate followed by side wall heating and bottom wall heating. Highest
temperature range at 3600 sec with uniform heating in side wall, bottom wall, and double wall are 360-370 K, 350-
360 K, and 340-350 K respectively.
• Between the side wall heating and bottom wall heating with uniform heat flux, side wall heating gives a higher
melting rate. For side wall heating, a higher length of solid liquid interface increases the heat transfer to solid PCM
and thus increases the melting rate.
• Among different heat distributions of side wall heating gradually decreasing heat flux, gives the highest melting
rate. This distribution of heat (case 1(iii)) actually transfers more heat to the lower part of the container, so it
enhances the melting process.
• For different heat distributions at bottom wall heating, gradually increasing heat flux (case 2(ii)) gives the highest
melting rate. For gradually increasing heat flux (case 2(ii)), the shape of the cavity is triangular which gives more
space with the intense convective circulation that leads to a higher melting rate.

CONCLUSIONS contd.
• The melt fraction is considerably higher, especially for inclination angle-120° trapezoidal-shaped containers and
the higher gradient of melt fraction in the early stages of melting suggests a faster rate of melting, where both
conduction and convection govern the heat transfer process.
• In case of inclination angle-120º trapezoidal-shaped container full melting takes place at 113 minutes which is least
among different quadrilateral geometry.
• Whereas that for 80° inverted trapezoidal shape the melting time is 131 min. Therefore changing inclination angle
reduces the melting time by 14%. The bigger circulation is produced in the melting cavity enhances the natural
convection and also the corners are in vicinity of the heating wall
• Horizontal T shaped fin gives little higher solidification rate for T shaped fin with shorter stem length. This
signifies the dominance of convection heat transfer. These results also show that the effect of natural convection,
though not negligible, is not very significant.

FUTURE SCOPE
• This study can be performed with various PCM materials to understand the best possible PCM for effective
performance of the LHTES
• The same study can be performed on PCM combined with nanoparticles.
• Solidification study for various shaped container can be performed.
• The study can be extended with taking other container shapes like annular with internal heating.

REFERENCES
[1] Babak Kamkari, Hamid Jahedi Amlashi, Numerical simulation and experimental verification of constrained melting of phase change material in inclined rectangular enclosures, International
Communications of Heat and Mass Transfer 88(2017) 211-219.
[2] Pascal Henry Biwole, Dominic Groulx, Farah Souayfane, Tim Chiu, Influence of fin size and distribution on solid-liquid phase change in a rectangular enclosure, International Journal of Thermal
Sciences, 124(2018) 433-446.
[3] Chenzhen Ji , Zhen Qin , Zhenghua Low , Swapnil Dubey , Fook Hoong Choo , Fei Duan, Non-uniform heat transfer suppression to enhance PCM melting by angled fins, Applied Thermal
Engineering 129 (2018) 269–279.
[4] Alireza Keyhani Asl, Siamak Hossainpour, M.M. Rashidi, M.A. Sheremet, Z. Yang,Comprehensive investigation of solid and porous fins influence on natural convection in an inclined rectangular
enclosure, International Journal of heat and mass transfer 133(2019)729-744.
[5] Soroush Ebadi, Syeda Humaria Tasnim, Amir A.Aliabadi, Shohel Mahmud, Melting of nano-PCM inside a cylindrical thermal energy storage system: Numerical study with experimental
verification, Energy Conservation and Management 166 (2018) 241-259
[6] Simone Arena, Efisio Casti, Jaume Gasia, Luisa F. Cabeza, Giorgio Cau, Numerical analysis of a latent heat thermal energy storage system under partial load operating conditions, Renewable
Energy 128(2018) 350-361.
[7] Hossein Shokouhmand, Babak Kamkari, Experimental investigation on melting heat transfer characteristics of lauric acid in a rectangular thermal storage unit, Experimental Thermal and Fluid
Science 50(2013) 201-212.
[8] A comparative study of thermal behaviour of a horizontal and vertical shell-and-tube energy storage using phase change materials; Saeid Seddegh, Xiaolin Wang , Alan D. Henderson; Applied
Thermal Engineering 93 (2016) 348–358
[9] Three-dimensional PCM melting in a vertical cylindrical enclosure including the effects of tilting; Nouro uddin Sharifi , Christopher W. Robak , Theodore L. Bergman, Amir Faghri; International
Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 65 (2013) 798–806
[10] Experimental investigation on the heat transfer performance of a PCM based pin fin heat sink with discrete heating; R. Srikanth, C. Balaji; International Journal of Thermal Sciences 111 (2017)
188-203
[11] Thermal performance of a PCM heat sink under different heat loads: An experimental study; Rajesh Baby, C. Balaji; International Journal of Thermal Sciences 79 (2014) 240-249

REFERENCES contd.
[12] A novel shell-and-tube thermal energy storage tank: Modeling and investigations of thermal performance; Qianjun Mao, Ning Liu, Li Peng, Donghua Liu; Applied Thermal
Engineering 159 (2019) 113964
[13] Mohamad Hamed Hekmat , Mohamad Hosein KhaksarHaghani , Ehsan Izadpanah ,Hosein Sadeghi; The influence of energy storage container geometry on the melting and
solidification of PCM;International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 137 (2022) 106237
[14] Effects of fins arrangement and parameters on the consecutive melting and solidification of PCM in a latent heat storage unit; Changda Nie, Sheng xiang Dengb , Jiangwei Liua; Journal
of Energy Storage Volume 29, June 2020, 101319
[15] Solidification enhancement of PCM in a triplex-tube thermal energy storage system with nanoparticles and fins; Jasim M. Mahdi, Emmanuel C. Nsofor; Applied Energy 211 (2018)
975–986 b
[16] A novel shell-and-tube thermal energy storage tank: Modeling and investigations of thermal performance; Qianjun Mao, Ning Liu, Li Peng, Donghua Liu; Applied Thermal
Engineering 159 (2019) 113964
[17] Shiyu Yu, Xiaodong Wang, Dezhen Wu; Microencapsulation of n-octadecane phase change material with calcium carbonate shell for enhancement of thermal conductivity and serving
durability: Synthesis, microstructure, and performance evaluation; Applied Energy 114 (2014) 632–643
[18] Ashish Kumar, Sandip K. Saha; Experimental and numerical study of latent heat thermal energy storage with high porosity metal matrix under intermittent heat loads; Applied Energy
263 (2020) 114649
[19] H. Shokouhmand, B. Kamkari, Experimental investigation on melting heat transfer characteristics of lauric acid in a rectangular thermal storage unit, Experimental Thermal and Fluid
Science 50(2013) 201-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2013.06.010
[20] Abduljalil A. Al-Abidi , Sohif Mat, K. Sopian , M.Y. Sulaiman , Abdul rahman Th Mohammad; Numerical study of PCM solidification in a triplex tube heat exchanger with internal
and external fins; International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 61 (2013) 684–695

PUBLICATIONS
JOURNALS: International Conferences:
1. Bhattacharjee P, Nath S, Bhanja D, Tamuli BR. A comparative study of melting
behaviour of PCM in a square enclosure having rectangular fin and T-shaped fin, 1. Bhattacharjee, P., Nath, S., Bhanja, D. (2021). Numerical
placed in vertical and horizontal direction: A numerical approach. Proceedings of Analysis OF PCM Within a Square Enclosure Having Different
the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part-C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Wall Heating Conditions. In: Pandey, K., Misra, R., Patowari, P.,
Science. (SCIE) 2023;0(0). Doi:10.1177/09544062231167760 (Accepted) Dixit, U. (eds) Recent Advances in Mechanical Engineering.
Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore.
2. Bhattacharjee P, Nath S, Bhanja D, Study of melting behavior of phase change https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7711-6_48
material in a square enclosure with constant and variable heat flux at different wall
heating conditions: a numerical approach . Proceedings of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, Part-E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering. (SCIE)
(Under review)
3. Bhattacharjee P, Nath S, Bhanja D, Study of melting phenomenon of PCM in

different quadrilateral enclosures under isothermal wall heating at the
bottom ,International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology
(Ccommunicated)
4. Bhattacharjee P., Nath S., Bhanja D., A numerical analysis of solidification behavior
of pcm in a square enclosure with rectangular and t-shaped fins in horizontal and
vertical orientation: a comparative study (To be communicated)
5. Bhattacharjee P., Nath S., Bhanja D., Study of melting phenomenon of pcm kept in
different quadrilateral shapes with changing inclination angle under isothermal wall
heating at the bottom (To be communicated)
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Synopsis Seminar

Presented by Under the Supervision of

PCM in a square enclosure with single wall

• The global economy's continuous growth and development has led to an

• In recent time pandemic in 2019 and Russia-Ukraine war has disrupted

• To address these issues, scientists and engineers worldwide have focused on

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Phase Change Material

Organic PCM Inorganic PCM Eutectic

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Lower thermal conductivity

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Different Researchers have studied different methods for improving

 Changing orientation of PCM container

 Changing shape of PCM container

 Using extended surfaces

 Using different boundary condition or heating strategies

 Incorporation of conductive Nano-particle

 Incorporation of Metal Matrix etc.

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Sl. Authors / journals Key findings

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Based on Melting behavior of PCM

Based on Solidification of PCM

 cp is specific heat of the PCM

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Specific Heat Capacity Method

k  1    k phase1   k phase 2 Effective thermal conductivity of the PCM

  1     phase1    phase 2 Effective density of the PCM

Body force terms

 T   l 1  A T  Viscosity is customized

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Heat line equations

Boundary conditions Initial condition

Without fin With fin

Figure 3.1: Mesh arrangements of the PCM and the

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Figure 3.3: Validation of numerical work with

ANALYSIS OF PCM WITHIN A SQUARE ENCLOSURE HAVING

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Case 1  At the beginning of melting process heating from bottom

 Convective current is confined in the bottom portion of the

Figure 3.7: Liquid fraction contour plots at 1800 s and 3600 s

Melt fraction Heatlines

Figure 3.9: Effect of variable heat flux on side y

Gradually decreasing heat flux (Case 1(iii)) Case 1 (iv)

container, so it enhances the melting process

Figure 3.8: Liquid fraction and heatlines at 1800 s

distribution on bottom wall heating

Figure 3.13: Effect of different heat flux

ENHANCEMENT OF MELTING PERFORMANCE OF PCM USING