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Phase-Transition Thermal Charging of a Channel-Shape Thermal Energy Storage Unit: Taguchi Optimization Approach and
Mohammad Ghalambaz1,2, Seyed Abdollah Mansouri Mehryan3, Ahmad Hajjar4
1Metamaterials for Mechanical, Biomechanical and Multiphysical Applications Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City 758307, Vietnam.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 6, 2021
Summary
Adding copper foam to thermal energy storage units significantly reduces charging time. Optimizing foam placement and porosity is key to improving energy storage efficiency for renewable energy grids.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- Thermal energy storage (TES) is crucial for stabilizing renewable energy grids by managing supply fluctuations.
- Phase change materials (PCMs) store and release thermal energy, but effectiveness is limited by charge leakage and slow heat transfer.
- Metal foams offer a solution to enhance TES unit performance by improving heat transfer and reducing leakage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the benefits of incorporating copper foam into a capric acid-based TES unit enhanced with copper nanoparticles.
- To optimize the design parameters of the TES unit, including nanoparticle concentration, foam location, porosity, and dimensions.
- To minimize charge leakage and reduce the charging time of the TES unit through design optimization.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Taguchi approach for optimizing TES unit design parameters.
- Simulated and analyzed the impact of copper foam (volume fraction, location, porosity) and copper nanoparticles (concentration) on TES performance.
- Conducted sensitivity analysis to identify dominant design variables affecting charging time.
Main Results:
- Optimized placement of copper foam at the bottom of the unit with maximum height and minimum porosity yielded the shortest charging time.
- Optimal nanoparticle concentration was determined to be 4 vol.%, with a maximum effective concentration of 6 vol.%.
- The optimized TES unit design demonstrated a predicted charging time approximately 58% shorter compared to the least effective design.
Conclusions:
- Incorporating optimized copper foam significantly enhances the charging speed of TES units.
- Foam layer height and porosity are critical factors, while nanoparticle concentration and foam location are secondary.
- Strategic design of metal foam integration can substantially improve TES unit efficiency for renewable energy applications.
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