Abstract :
Latent heat thermal storage units span a wide and varied range of applications in the domestic, industrial and space based activities.
Numerical investigations on the performance enhancement of a solar dynamic latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) unit employing
multiple phase change materials (PCM) and fins are made. The LHTS unit has been studied for the charging mode alone. Enthalpy based
formulation of the energy equations governing the behaviour of the LHTS system has been made and compared with the response of a
single PCM unit. The governing conjugate equations have been solved employing finite difference techniques. The results show an appreciable
enhancement in the rate of melting of PCM and nearly uniform exit temperature of heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the multiple PCM
LHTS unit.
2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
