Experimental study of minimum - temperature hydrated salt latent heat thermal energy storage with sodium acetate trihydrate as phase change materials

Abstract

There’s a lot of hope for phase change material (PCM) in applications like sustainable energy generation and retrieval of heat loss. Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems containing hydrated salt (HS) at minimum-temperature have been the topic of much study, particularly with regards to their thermal behavior and charging-discharging properties. The PCM was prepared by adding sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT), a nucleation agent, and a thickness agent to the test tube. We monitored PCM’s temperature behavior and analyzed its thermal characteristics. Natural convection was the dominant way of heat transmission while the phase change material temperature was over the fusion threshold, whereas conduction was the dominant mode when liquid phase change material formed during the phase transition progression. Heat storage and release efficiency as a function of tube diameter and flow rate was analyzed. Internal stainless-steel fins and aluminium fins of varying thicknesses were added to the tube to increase heat transmission. The shape of the storing tube and fins was shown to have a significant impact on the heat transmission among the thermal fluid and the phase change material. Charging and discharging duration may be cut by 28 % and 25 %, respectively, because to the revised fins shape. Our findings from this study can serve as an experimental foundation for using the minimum-temperature hydrated salt LHTES system.