Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation
Latent thermal energy storage units are especially preferred in renewable thermal energy systems for their significant capacity to store heat. Nevertheless, the phase change materials in these units have low thermal conductivity, prompting researchers to tackle this problem using several methods, su...
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| Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2024-11-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Thermofluids |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202724003185 |
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| author | Saif Ali Kadhim Karrar A. Hammoodi Mohammed J. Alshukri Issa Omle Karrar K. Abdul Hussein Abbas Fadhil Khalaf Ammar Elsheikh |
| author_facet | Saif Ali Kadhim Karrar A. Hammoodi Mohammed J. Alshukri Issa Omle Karrar K. Abdul Hussein Abbas Fadhil Khalaf Ammar Elsheikh |
| author_sort | Saif Ali Kadhim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Latent thermal energy storage units are especially preferred in renewable thermal energy systems for their significant capacity to store heat. Nevertheless, the phase change materials in these units have low thermal conductivity, prompting researchers to tackle this problem using several methods, such as incorporating fins. This numerical study contributes to improving the charging rate of a square cell (50 × 50 mm) used paraffin wax RT42 as phase change material by adding 4 copper fins inside, 1 mm thick and of different lengths. The fins were positioned on the left wall, where a constant-temperature heat flux was applied, while the other walls were thermally insulated. Four configurations of the cell were examined: without fins, with 10 mm length fins, with 20 mm length fins, and with 30 mm length fins, respectively. The results demonstrated that the presence of fins significantly improved the charging rate of the square cell. Compared to the baseline configuration without fins, the time required for the paraffin wax RT42 to completely melt was reduced by 22.22 %, 33.33 %, and 55.56 % with fins of 10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm lengths, respectively. Configuration four was also compared with a setup where similar fins were positioned on the bottom wall while maintaining the heat flux on the left wall. It was observed that the total melting time doubled compared to configuration four, suggesting that the optimal placement for the heat flux is on the wall where the fins are located. The study contributes to enhancing and developing the charge rates of square and rectangular PCM cells such as these used for cooling PV panels. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e13811e888864de38f1f24cfe88fa3ca |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-2027 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Thermofluids |
| spelling | doaj-art-e13811e888864de38f1f24cfe88fa3ca2024-12-13T11:04:10ZengElsevierInternational Journal of Thermofluids2666-20272024-11-0124100877Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulationSaif Ali Kadhim0Karrar A. Hammoodi1Mohammed J. Alshukri2Issa Omle3Karrar K. Abdul Hussein4Abbas Fadhil Khalaf5Ammar Elsheikh6Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Technology- Iraq, Baghdad, IraqAir Conditioning and Refrigeration Department, College of Technical Engineering, Warith Al- Anbiyaa University, Karbala 56001, IraqDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kufa University, 54002 Najaf, Iraq; Refrigeration & Air-conditioning Technical Engineering Department, College of Technical Engineering, The Islamic University, Najaf, IraqDepartment of Fluid and Heat Engineering, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary; Institute of Physics and Electrical Engineering, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary; Corresponding author.Department of Power Mechanical Engineering, AL-Amarah University College, Maysan, IraqFaculty of Engineering, Kerbala University, Karbala 56001, IraqFaculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta, 31521, EgyptLatent thermal energy storage units are especially preferred in renewable thermal energy systems for their significant capacity to store heat. Nevertheless, the phase change materials in these units have low thermal conductivity, prompting researchers to tackle this problem using several methods, such as incorporating fins. This numerical study contributes to improving the charging rate of a square cell (50 × 50 mm) used paraffin wax RT42 as phase change material by adding 4 copper fins inside, 1 mm thick and of different lengths. The fins were positioned on the left wall, where a constant-temperature heat flux was applied, while the other walls were thermally insulated. Four configurations of the cell were examined: without fins, with 10 mm length fins, with 20 mm length fins, and with 30 mm length fins, respectively. The results demonstrated that the presence of fins significantly improved the charging rate of the square cell. Compared to the baseline configuration without fins, the time required for the paraffin wax RT42 to completely melt was reduced by 22.22 %, 33.33 %, and 55.56 % with fins of 10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm lengths, respectively. Configuration four was also compared with a setup where similar fins were positioned on the bottom wall while maintaining the heat flux on the left wall. It was observed that the total melting time doubled compared to configuration four, suggesting that the optimal placement for the heat flux is on the wall where the fins are located. The study contributes to enhancing and developing the charge rates of square and rectangular PCM cells such as these used for cooling PV panels.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202724003185Copper finsSquare cellPCMMelting dynamicsRT42 paraffin wax |
| spellingShingle | Saif Ali Kadhim Karrar A. Hammoodi Mohammed J. Alshukri Issa Omle Karrar K. Abdul Hussein Abbas Fadhil Khalaf Ammar Elsheikh Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation International Journal of Thermofluids Copper fins Square cell PCM Melting dynamics RT42 paraffin wax |
| title | Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation |
| title_full | Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation |
| title_short | Enhancing the melting rate of RT42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations: A numerical simulation |
| title_sort | enhancing the melting rate of rt42 paraffin wax in a square cell with varied copper fin lengths and orientations a numerical simulation |
| topic | Copper fins Square cell PCM Melting dynamics RT42 paraffin wax |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666202724003185 |
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