Numerical analysis of natural convection in a latent heat thermal energy storage system containing rectangular enclosures

Abstract

Natural convection in the liquid phase of a phase change material (PCM) is often neglected in the analysis and design of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems. However, depending on geometry and material properties, the influence of natural convection can be significant. This is also the case in an experimental LHTES lab-scale storage unit for high temperature PCMs that was designed, built and operated at DLR. The unit is a storage adaptation of a flat plate heat exchanger. The space between the heated flat plates forms rectangular enclosures, which are filled with PCM. The behavior of such a system is to be described by numerical methods. First, a method that accounts only for heat conduction was used. In some cases, simulated results diverged considerably from experimental data. This divergence was expected to be mostly caused by natural convection. In this work, improved simulation methods are applied that include the modeling of natural convection. For a detailed reference solution, a sophisticated CFD-Method that solves the Navier-Stokes-Equations is used. The results are validated with data from the above mentioned DLR storage test unit filled with the eutectic mixture of potassium nitrate (KNO3) and sodium nitrate (NaNO3). Although differences between simulation results and experimental data still remain, the agreement has improved greatly in comparison to previous heat conduction simulations. Possible causes for divergences and suggestions for further improvement are given. Moreover, the detailed flow and temperature fields driven by natural convection are presented and discussed. Finally, the influence of natural convection on the thermal power characteristic is analyzed. A strong influence is observed for the charging process, where the power input is considerably enhanced. The discharging process is only slightly affected.