Numerical Investigations of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for Thermal Energy Storage Systems: An Overview

Abstract

In this work, recent numerical studies on energy storage in phase change materials(PCMs) have been reviewed.In recent years, thermal energy storage in phase change materials(PCMs) has been very popular in terms of storing energy and supplying when its needed.High thermal capacity of PCMs, due to large enthalpy of phase change(latent heat), increase the potentiel of these materials for heat accumulation, but also modifies heat transfer in transient states what improves their insulating characteristics. Many simple models have been developed for numerical simulations of energy storage units. Computaional Fluids Dynamics (CFD) tools such as Ansys Fluent have been used for most of the numerical studies. Numerical studies have resulted improving the energy storage potential of PCMs.

Keywords

• Thermal energy storage,Phase change material,Heat transfer,Solar energy

References

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