Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of Energy Storage

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/est

A combination of fins-nanoparticle for enhancing the discharging of phase- T

change material used for liquid desiccant air conditioning unite
⁎
Ammar M. Abdulateefa,b, , Jasim Abdulateefa,b, Abduljalil A. Al-Abidia,c, Kamaruzzaman Sopiana,
Sohif Mata, Mustafa S. Mahdib
a
Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
b
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Diyala, 32001 Diyala, Iraq
c
Department of HVAC Engineering, Sana’a Community College, P.O. Box 5695 Sana’a, Yemen

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: A combination of fins-nanoparticle is essential for enhancing the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) that reduces the
Phase-change material mismatch between energy supply and energy demand and this employs for Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning
Triplex-tube heat exchanger Unite. Major problem is that most Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) have low thermal conductivity (k≤ 0.2 W/m
Fins-nanoparticle K), resulting in an incomplete charging and discharging processes. Triplex-Tube Heat Exchanger (TTHX) was
Discharging time
numerically and experimentally designed, adopted and tested with Alumina nanoparticle (Al2O3) and Paraffin
(RT82) that has a discharging temperature of 65 °C . The both-sides freezing was used as a major method and the
experimental findings displayed the influence of mass flow rates on the PCM discharging basing on the change in
these rates of 16.2, 29.4 and 37.5 kg/min, respectively. The solidification rate was minimized as the angle
direction increased from θ = 90° to θ = 270°. Other important findings were that with fins-nanoparticle, an
enhancement for the cooling rate of the PCM, compared with these without nanoparticle. Furthermore, the PCM
model was solved by the enthalpy-porosity and the finite-volume methods with the Software Ansys Fluent. The
solidification time was reduced for TTHX with longitudinal fins and TTHX with triangular fins to 33% and 34%
under the effect of 10% nanoparticle, compared with pure Paraffin, respectively. The total energy released for
the PCM and nano-PCM was considered. Close agreement obtained between numerical and experimental find-
ings.

1. Introduction discharging processes. The performance of these systems is limited by

various temperatures within the PCM, resulting material failure and
Enhancement in Thermal Energy Storage (TES) reduces the mis- system overheating. PCM has a major area of interest within the field of
match between energy supply and energy demand. This will ensure engineering applications, such as building heating, water heating, solar
reliability and increase the efficiency of many energy technologies, such energy systems, electronic cooling, drying technology, refrigeration and
as solar thermal systems. The main challenges that were faced by re- cold storage, air conditioning and waste heat recovery [1].
searchers are the environmental impact, limited energy supply and A considerable amount of literature has been published on different
fossil fuel sources. The issues of the intermittent availability, the rela- kinds of heat exchangers, such as concentric cylinder, shell and tube
tively high cost of the installation and the maintenance made the move and Triplex-Tube Heat Exchanger (TTHX), which definitely focused on
to more sustainable and environmentally friendly sources, such as solar the behavior of PCM used. Abdulateef et al. [2] have reviewed geo-
and wind energies to be less competitive in energy markets. The TES metric and design parameters of the various fins employed for enhan-
has the ability to be an alternative solution to correct the intermittency, cing PCM-TES systems. Hosseini et al. [3] conducted a combined ex-
the use of facilitating more efficient and promoting broader usage of the perimental and numerical study to investigate the influences of
aforementioned sources. increasing Heat-Transfer Flow (HTF) inlet temperature on the charging
A low thermal conductivity (k≤0.2 W/m K) is one of the most fre- and discharging of Paraffin (RT50) inside a shell and tube unite. Sed-
quently stated problems with Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) that are degh et al. [4] investigated and compared the thermal behavior of PCM
used in TES applications. That may cause an incomplete charging and in a vertical and horizontal shell and tube-Latent Heat Thermal Energy

⁎
Corresponding author at: Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
E-mail address: [email protected] (A.M. Abdulateef).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2019.100784
Received 28 February 2019; Received in revised form 5 May 2019; Accepted 20 May 2019
2352-152X/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Nomenclature Tm Melting temperature (°C or K)

u Velocity component (m/s)
Al2O3 Aluminum oxide v Velocity component (m/s)
B Boltzmann constant (J/K) x, y x, y-component in a Cartesian coordinate system
C Mushy zone constant (kg/m3 s)
CFD Computational fluid dynamics Greek letters
CNTs Carbon nano tubes
Cp Specific heat (kJ/kg K) β Thermal expansion coefficient (1/K)
d Diameter of nanoparticle (nm) ε Constant
Fe3O4 Ferrousferric oxide ϕ Volumetric fraction of nanoparticle
g Gravity acceleration (m/s2) γ Liquid fraction
GNS Graphene nano sheet μ Dynamic viscosity (kg/m s)
h Sensible enthalpy (J/kg) θ Angle (o)
H Enthalpy (J) ρ Fluid density (kg/m3)
HTF Heat-transfer fluid ζ Correction factor
k Thermal conductivity (W/m K)
L Latent heat of fusion (J/kg) Subscribes
LHTES Latent heat thermal energy storage
p Pressure (Pa) i Inner
PEG Polyethylene glycol Ini Initial time
PCM Phase-change material l Liquid
r Tube radius (mm) m Middle
RD Raw diatomite np Nanoparticle
S Momentum source term (Pa/m) npcm Nano-PCM
t Time (min) o Outer
T Temperature (°C or K) pcm Phase-change material
TTHX Triplex-tube heat exchanger ref Reference
TES Thermal energy storage s Solid

Storage (LHTES) system with no fins using a combined conduction and [12] enhanced the thermal conductivity of PCM by preparation of
convection heat-transfer model. A horizontal shell and tube unite has a Paraffin Nano Magnetite (Fe3O4) composites. The results clearly in-
better performance in heat-transfer, especially during part-load energy dicate that the dispersion of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is an efficient and cost
charging. Tay et al. [5] simulated PCM-LHTES units, including plain effective method. Wentao et al. [13] reported novel magnetic, sunlight-
tube, pinned tube and circular finned tube. The circular finned tube driven energy conversion and storage nanocomposites based on Fe3O4
design was found to yield better average effectiveness and shorter functionalized Graphene Nano Sheet (Fe3O4-GNS) embedded form
phase-change duration in the solidification process. Xiaohu et al. [6] stable Polymer-PCMs. Yuang et al. [14] employed Polyethylene Glycol
numerically studied a shell and tube unit with annular fins. An optimal (PEG) composite PCM for enhancing solar thermal energy conversion
fin parameter, such as fin number (N = 31), thickness (t/l = 0.0248) and storage capacity, supported by Silver nanoparticle functionalized
and interval (l/L = 0.0313) has been employed for maximizing per- Graphene Nano Sheet. Ahmet et al. [15] also investigated PEG600 that
formance. Rahimi et al. [7] evaluated an experimental test to in- incorporated with Raw Diatomite (RD)/Carbon Nano Tubes (CNTs) pre-
vestigate the charging and discharging processes in a plate finned tube composites to abolish its leakage problem during phase-change, to
heat exchanger. Sciacovelli et al. [8] simulated the use of two kinds of amplify LHTES capacity depending on the increased impregnation ratio
tree shaped fins, namely: a single bifurcation and a double bifurcation and to reduce the heat during the charging and discharging times. On
configuration, to optimize and accomplish the maximum work for the other hand, the latest progress for enhancing TES that has used
LHTES system. Consequently, there is a large volume of published metal foam was by Xiaohu et al. [16] who simulated a shell and tube
studies describing the significant role of the designed fin shapes for unite and employed an open-cell metal foam with a porosity of 0.94 and
enhancing the heat-transfer rate in PCM-LHTES systems. On the other pore density of 15 pore/inch for PCMs domains. The influences of the
hand, the solid-liquid interface moves away from the heat-transfer metal foam location and porosity on the heat storage were analyzed.
surface, and the heat flux reduced with the unloading of the LHTES. Xiaohu et al. [17] also displayed the melting behaviors of pure PCM and
This was due to augmenting thermal resistance of the growing layer of PCM embedded in open-cell metal foam. The experiments are carried
the molten and solidified medium of PCM. This influence can also be out at 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° inclination angles, respectively. The melting
reduced by dispersing high thermal conductivity particles, such as time is reduced by 12.28%, 22.81% and 34.21% at 0°, 30° and 60°,
Aluminum, Copper, Silver and Graphite. Arasu and Mujumdar [9] nu- respectively compared with the case at 90°. Another published about
merically reported the Paraffin Wax melting by dispersing different estimating the effective thermal conductivity of PCMs having two dis-
volumetric concentrations of Alumina (Al2O3) inside a square enclosure tinctive phases (solid, liquid or liquid-solid mixed phases) was pre-
heated from one side. Mahdi and Nsofor [10] have presented a nu- sented by [18].
merical study to illustrate the effect of utilizing fins, nanoparticle and a Generally, there seems to be some evidences to indicate that this
combination of nanoparticle-fins in the PCM-TTHX. The results in- paper covers nanoparticle, metal foam and so on, which have been
dicated that PCM melting is improved by these techniques. Darzi et al. played an important role for enhancing heat-transfer rates and thermal
[11] simulated horizontal annulus configurations consist of two circular conductivity of PCM during the charging and discharging processes,
cylinders in addition to one elliptical cylinder and one finned cylinder, respectively. The specific objective of this research was to evaluate the
which are separately in a circular cylinder. Enhancing the melting and performance of the TTHX unite using a combination of fins-nano-
solidification rates can be effectively seen because of increasing the particle, included: triangular fins-nanoparticle and longitudinal fins-
volume fractions of Copper nanoparticle concentration. Nurten et al. nanoparticle during the PCM discharging and employed the energy

2
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

released for Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning Unite. 3. Numerical approach

3.1. Physical models

2. Experiments and procedures
In this study, the TTHX model used for our application consists of
2.1. Experimental apparatus (1) TTHX with internal longitudinal fins and (2) TTHX with internal
triangular fins as illustrated in Fig. 4. The difference between TTHX
The operation range of most engineering applications must match with longitudinal fins and TTHX with triangular fins was the base
the PCM melting temperature employed in PCM-TES systems. Akgun (thickness) of triangular fin, which was 25 mm. The both-sides freezing
et al. [19] examined commercial- grade PCMs that displayed stable is the major method used to supply the cooling rate from both inner and
properties after 1000 to 2000 cycles. Table 1 and Fig. 1a, illustrate the outer tubes. The experimental data illustrated that the minimum tem-
selected Paraffin (RT82) (RUBITHERM GmbH-Germany) with thermo- perature required to operate the PCM-TTHX unite was approximately
physical properties used for Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning Unite. 65 °C .
The minimum discharging temperature requires for this unite is in the
range of 65 ℃ −70 ℃ [28]. The nanoparticle that selected to improve 3.2. Governing equations
the thermal conductivity of Paraffin is Al2O3 as shown in Fig. 1b. The
melting point of Al2O3 (2345 ℃) is much higher than the Paraffin There are some assumptions can be considered:
(RT82) as illustrated in Table 1. Thus, the Al2O3 remained all the time
in the solid state at the average charging and discharging temperatures • The melting behaves as an Incompressible Newtonian Fluid.
of 90 °C and 65 °C, respectively. The LHTES system consists of many • The convective motion is laminar and two-dimensional.
parts, see Fig. 2. The basic unite is a TTHX as shown in Fig. 3, and
consists of inner, middle and outer tubes with 76.2 mm, 381 mm and
• No slip conditions were applicable for the velocity components at
the boundaries.
500 mm diameters with 3 mm thickness and 3000 mm length, respec-
tively. Eight internal longitudinal fins were equally positioned and
• The thermo-physical properties of the Paraffin (RT82) are constant
for both solid and liquid phases.
welded around the circumference of the inner tube at 45°. Each long-
itudinal fin has 121 mm pitch, 2 mm thickness and 2800 mm length. During the PCM melting, the influence of the natural convection is
The inner and middle tubes and fins are made of copper, while the outer specifically pointed by invoking the Boussinesq approximation, which
tube is made of steel. The inner and outer tubes were used for HTF, is valid for the density variations of the buoyancy force; otherwise, this
while the middle tube was filled in by 100 kg of the Paraffin (RT82). influence is ignored. The density variation is defined by:
Furthermore, the Alumina nanoparticles have regularly been dispersed
ρ = ρl /(β (T − Tl ) + 1) (1)
and distributed by 10 kg into three slots of the TTHX as displayed in
Fig. 2. There are three main concentrations of Al2O3 used (0%, 5% and where ρl represents the PCM density at the melting temperature of Tl ,
10% by weight) to improve the thermal conductivity of the PCM. As and β is the thermal expansion coefficient. The temperature distribution
mentioned in Table 1, selecting the nanoparticle to avoid accumulating and viscous Incompressible Flow are solved by the Navier-Stokes and
that maybe occurred in experimental processes. Some nanoparticles, thermal energy equations, respectively. The continuity, momentum and
such as Copper maybe accumulated sometimes on the bottom due to its thermal energy equations are expressed by [20]:
highest density. A 70-mm thick Glass Wool insulation (k = 0.04 W/m The continuity equation:
K) was wrapped around the TTHX and pipes to reduce heat lost and to
∂ρ ∂ (ρu) ∂ (ρv )
make the surface adiabatic. Two Thermocouples (T-type) on the top and + + =0
∂t ∂x ∂y (2)
bottom of the Storage Tank were fitted in the axial direction and were
used to measure the temperatures of the PCM solidification, 500 mm The momentum equation:
and 1100 mm away from the HTF tube entrance, respectively. Ther-
mocouples (J-type) and Flow Meter are currently the most popular tools ∂ (ρu) ∂ (ρuu) ∂ (ρvu) ∂ ∂u ∂ ∂u ∂p
+ + = (μ )+ (μ )− + ρ g x + Sx
for measuring the HTF inlet and outlet temperatures and HTF rate, ∂t ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x
respectively. A Data Logger and a Personal Computer achieved the data (3a)
recording for the discharging processes (PCM temperature and HTF
∂ (ρv ) ∂ (ρuv ) ∂ (ρvv ) ∂ ∂v ∂ ∂v ∂p
rate). + + = (μ ) + (μ ) − + ρ g y + Sy
∂t ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂y
(3b)
2.2. Discharging process The energy equation:

After the PCM is entirely charged, the discharging process starts. ∂ (ρh) ∂ (ρuh) ∂ (ρvh) ∂ ⎛ ∂T ⎞ ∂ ⎛ ∂T ⎞
+ + = k ⎜+ ⎜k
⎟ ⎟
The water was circulated by the Pumps from the Water Storage Tank ∂t ∂x ∂y ∂x ⎝ ∂x ⎠ ∂y ⎝ ∂y ⎠ (4)
(500 L) to the TTHX. The valves were closed to prevent the water from
going to Evacuated Tubes Solar Collector as shown in Fig. 2. The Table 1
cooling rate is transferred to the inner and outer tubes of the TTHX and Thermo-physical properties of Paraffin (RT82) and Alumina (Al2O3).
then by the conduction heat-transfer to the PCM or nano-PCM in the
Properties Paraffin (RT82) Al2O3
middle tube with both-sides freezing method. The initial temperature of
the Paraffin was set at 90 °C. The inlet HTF was at average discharging Density, solid, ρs (kg/m )3
950 3600
temperature of 65 °C and continued to the TTHX during a closed cycle. Density, liquid, ρl (kg/m3) 770 –
However, the Alumina nanoparticle remained in a solid state at HTF Specific heat, C pl , C ps (J/kg K) 2000 765
temperature during this process. The HTF temperature cannot also re- Latent heat of fusion, L (J/kg) 176000 –
Dynamic viscosity, μ (kg/m s) 0.03499 –
main constant and continues to circulate until the PCM was completely
Melting temperature, Tm (°C ) 78.15 -82.15 2345
discharged. 0.2 36
Thermal conductivity, k (W/m K)
Thermal expansion coefficient (1/K) 0.001 –

3
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Fig. 1. The granules survey of (a) Paraffin (RT82) and (b) Alumina (Al2O3).

Fig. 2. Schematic of the experimental appa-

ratus of the LHTES system. It includes: 1.
Evacuated tubes solar collector, 2. Flow meter,
3. TTHX, 4. T-type thermocouple, 5.J-J-type
thermocouple, 6. Internal longitudinal fins, 7.
diaphragm expansion tank, 8. Pump, 9. Data
logger, 10. Computer, 11. Water storage tank,
12. Electrical heater, 13. Pipes, 14. Valve two-
ways and 15. Valve three-ways.

where ρ represents the density of the PCM, u and v are the fluid velo-
cities, μ is the dynamic viscosity, p is the pressure, g is the gravitational
acceleration, k is the thermal conductivity, h is the sensible enthalpy
and T represents the temperature.
The sensible enthalpy equation can be expressed by:
T
h = href + ∫T
ref
Cp ΔT
(5)

where href represents the reference enthalpy at the reference tempera-

ture Tref ; Cp is the specific heat.
The total enthalpy H equation can be defined by:
Fig. 3. Triplex-Tube Heat Exchanger (TTHX). H = h + ΔH (6)

where ΔH represents the latent heat content of the PCM; which changes

4
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

the tube wall represented the HTF temperature [22,23] and was ap-
proximately 90 °C for melting and 65 °C for solidification. The
boundary conditions of the TTHX can be written by:
Both-sides heating or freezing method:
at r = ri → T = THTF (10)

at r = rm → T = THTF (11)

Initial temperature of all models:

at t = 0 → T = Tini (12)

In case of the nano-PCM, the same conservation equations,

boundary and initial conditions are applied. The difference is that the
melting temperature of the Al2O3 is much higher than that of the
Paraffin (RT82) as shown in Table 1. Therefore, the Alumina nano-
particle remained in the solid state at the HTF temperature (90 °C and
65 °C ) during the melting and solidification processes.

3.4. Thermo-physical properties

Depending on a commercially available material (Rubitherm

GmbH-Germany (RT82)) supplied by company and nanoparticle.
Table 1 illustrates the thermo-physical properties of the Paraffin (RT82)
and Al2O3. In this research, the properties of the nano-PCM can be
determined by [24]:
The density equation:

ρnpcm = ϕρnp + (1 − ϕ) ρpcm (13)

The specific heat capacity equation:

ϕ (ρCp)np + (1 − ϕ)(ρCp)pcm
Cp, npcm =
ρnpcm (14)

The latent heat equation:

Fig. 4. Physical configurations of the TTHX model with (a) Internal long- (1−ϕ)(ρL)pcm
itudinal fins and (b) Internal triangular fins. Lnpcm =
ρnpcm (15)

between zero (solid) and L (liquid); and γ is the liquid fraction, which is The dynamics viscosity of nano-PCM is given by Vajjha et al. [25]:
generated during the phase-change between the solid and liquid states
μnpcm = 0.983e (12.959ϕ) μpcm (16)
when the temperature is Tl > T > Ts . This can be written as:
γ = ΔH / L (7) The effective thermal conductivity of the nano-PCM includes the
effects of the particle size (dnp ), particle volume fraction (ϕ) and
γ=0 ifT < Ts temperature dependence, as well as the properties of the Paraffin
γ=1 if T > Tl (RT82). The particle subject to Brownian motion is given by Vajjha
T − Ts et al. [25].
γ= if Ts < T < Tl
Tl − Ts (8)
knp + 2kpcm − 2(kpcm − knp ) ϕ
knpcm = kpcm
The source term S in the momentum equations and Eqs. (3a and 3b) knp + 2kpcm + 2(kpcm − knp ) ϕ
can be defined in x and y directions, respectively as: BT
+ 5 × 10 4γk ξ ϕρpcm Cp,pcm f (T ,ϕ)
u ρnp dnp (17)
Sx = C (1 − γ )2
γ3 + ε (9a)
where B is the Boltzmann constant (1.381 × 10−23 J/K) and
v
Sy = C (1 − γ )2
γ3 + ε (9b) γk = 8.4407(100ϕ)−1.07304 (18)
u v
where C (1 − γ )2 3 and C (1 − γ )2 3 are the "porosity function" T
γ +ε γ +ε
defined by Brent et al. [21]. C is a constant, which describes how f (T ,ϕ) = (2.8217 × 10−2 ϕ+ 3.917 × 10−3) + (−3.0669 × 10−2 ϕ
Tref
sharply the velocity is reduced to zero when the material solidifies. This
− 3.91123 × 10−3) (19)
constant varies between 104 and 107 (105 is considered for this study). ε
is a small number (0.001) to prevent division by zero. where Tref =273 K represents the reference temperature. There is a
correction factor ξ in the Brownian motion term because there should
3.3. Boundary and initial conditions be no Brownian motion in the solid phase [9]. Its value is the same as
for the liquid fraction γ in Eq. (8). In this study, we applied the effects of
At the initial time, the Paraffin (RT82) was in the solid state, and the the particle size (dnp =20 nm), particle volume fraction (ϕ= 10%) and
temperature was 27 °C for melting process. The constant temperature of reference temperature (Tref =273 K) in Eq. (17).

5
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

3.5. Computational methodology

The most popular methods for solving the PCM model were the
enthalpy-porosity and the finite-volume [26]. That was with the Soft-
ware Ansys Fluent 16 and the procedure for that can be summarized as
shown below:

• Drawing and meshing the model in two-dimensions (r , θ) and de-

fining the boundary layer conditions and zone types by Software
Gambit 2.4.6.
• To input the data and find the solutions for problems, the PCM
model was exported to the Fluent 16 Software.
• Applying the equations for the continuity, momentum and energy in
addition to solving these equations with the boundary and initial
conditions by finite-volume method basing on the transient time and
pressure-based solver with absolute velocity. Fig. 6. Validation of the experimental and numerical data of the pure PCM and
• Discretizing the equations of momentum and energy by the second- nano-PCM in a TTHX with internal longitudinal fins.
order upwind and discretizing the pressure by the PRESTO method.
• Employing the SIMPLE scheme in pressure-velocity coupling and ℃. Furthermore, the HTF discharging temperature for both-sides
applying the under-relaxation factors (0.3, 0.2, 0.7, 1 and 0.9) for freezing method is 65 ℃ with an experimental mass flow rate of
the pressure, velocity, momentum, energy and liquid fraction, re- 37.5 kg/min.
spectively. However, applying the convergence for the energy
equation (10−6) and the velocity equations (10−3). 4. Results and discussions
• The final set selected the data (0.1 s) as the standard value, and (0.5
and 1 s) were for the some measurements. These were for the time- Much of the heat exchanger research has focused on designing and
step sensitivity. employing the fins to improve the heat-transfer. That was because of its
simplicity, easy fabrication and low construction cost [2]. Recent de-
Fig. 5 shows the results obtained from this analysis, the grid sizes velopments in the field of TES have led to a renewed interest in dis-
were 66,536 and 56,200 for the internal triangular fins and internal persing nanoparticle to enhance the thermal conductivity of PCM.
longitudinal fins, respectively. Further details in Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) related with this study can be found in Ref. [27].
4.1. Experimental results

3.6. Numerical model validation 4.1.1. Average charging temperature

Figs. 7 shows the charging temperature of the PCM and nano-PCM
Fig. 6 shows the validation of the experimental and numerical versus time for both-sides heating method with a flow rate of 37.5 kg/
average temperature of the pure PCM and nano-PCM in a TTHX with min. Data for these experiments were collected with the average
internal longitudinal fins. The early stage of the solidification process charging temperature of 90 ℃. The reason for taking this temperature
represents the sensible cooling of the PCM as a liquid. With time, the with time is the intermitted nature of the solar irradiance. It should not
experimental findings showed close agreement with the numerical re- be less than the Paraffin (RT82) melting temperature (78.15 ℃− 82.15
sults based on the four Thermocouples of T-type inserted into the PCM ℃) to achieve the process.
and nano-PCM, while the numerical findings depended on the full
section of the model. The percentage errors between the numerical and 4.1.2. Nanoparticle dispersed technique
experimental results did not exceed 3% for two cases. The data were Fig. 8 illustrates the experimental data for the effect of the nano-
recorded when the average temperature of the Paraffin (RT82) was 90 particle concentrations on the PCM solidification. Generally, Increasing

Fig. 5. Distribution of the grids-size number in the middle tube of the TTHX with (a) Triangular fins and (b) Longitudinal fins.

6
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

solidification rate reduced as the angle direction increased from θ = 90°

to θ = 270°. This was due to the cooling rate at the upper tube was
higher than the lower tube. Thus, the solid layer can fully be seen on the
top of tube, as fast as on the bottom of the same tube. The most sur-
prising aspect of the data is in Fig. 11b that also illustrates the average
temperature variations of the PCM along the angular direction after
depressing 10% of nanoparticle. The main reason for improving dis-
charge rate, compare with the pure PCM was that depressing the na-
noparticle that improved the thermal conductivity of the Paraffin
(RT82) (0.2 W/m K) to 25%.

4.1.6. Thermodynamic analysis of nano-PCM discharging process

Fig. 7. The charging temperature versus time for both-sides heating method Fig. 12 indicates the inlet and outlet temperatures of the HTF, the
with a flow rate of 37.5 kg/min. average temperature of the nano-PCM via the time for the TTHX with
internal longitudinal fins. For the PCM solidification process, the dis-
charging temperature was at 65 ℃ with a flow rate of 37.5 kg/min. The
10% of Al2O3 depressed in the PCM-TTHX unit to enhance the thermal
conductivity and cooling rate. With nanoparticle, there was no change
to the deference between the inlet temperature and outlet temperature.
As the phase-change begun, the difference between the inlet tempera-
ture, outlet temperature and PCM temperature was gradually reduced.
This was for a long time until the PCM was entirely discharged.

4.2. Uncertainty analysis

The uncertainty of a measured quantity is an error of measurement

analysis for illustrating the level of confidence of the experimental re-
sults. There are two components can be split for the uncertainty of PCM
Fig. 8. Effect of the nanoparticle concentrations on the PCM discharging pro- thermal properties: random and systematic components. For example,
cess. the onset point, peak point and latent heat of fusion, which occurred
during the charging and discharging methods. Random components can
the Al2O3 concentration reduces the PCM discharging time. Thus, the be defined as the standard error, which can statistically analyze by (1)
Paraffin (RT82) with 10% Al2O3 was the best choice where the dis- determining the mean and (2) calculating the standard deviation. This
charging rate enhancement was pronounced. is for a finite set of measurements. In these experiments, some mea-
surements were ignored from the set depended on the Chauvenet’s
4.1.3. Discharging method mechanism criterion to reject certain measurement, according to Holman [29].
As mentioned earlier, the discharging process starts after the PCM is Ultimately, it can be depending on the modified measurement set, a
entirely charged. Fig. 9 shows the charging and discharging tempera- new mean and standard deviation can effectively be determined.
tures of the PCM and nano-PCM using both-sides heating and freezing Table 2 shows the experimental data on the new mean and the standard
methods, respectively with a flow rate of 37.5 kg/min. For both-sides uncertainties for the Paraffin (RT82) thermal measurement with con-
freezing method, the cold water was supplied from both inner and outer fidence interval 90% of its thermal properties.
tubes of the TTHX, in which an average discharging temperature sup-
plied to the Paraffin (RT82) by conduction at 65 ℃. The temperature 4.3. Numerical results
readings for PCM depended on Thermocouples (T-type) location as
shown in Fig. 2. Another important finding was that after using 10% of 4.3.1. Fins technique for enhancing the PCM solidification
nanoparticle, the enhancement in discharging rate was better than the After the Paraffin (RT82) is entirely melted, the solidification pro-
pure PCM. This was due to increasing the cooling rate between the cess starts between the cold wall of the middle tube, the cold wall of fins
surface of the fins, middle tube and the PCM liquid. With time, the and the PCM liquid. A thin layer of the Paraffin solid is gradually
cooling rate is improved because of augmenting the thermal resistance formed at the early stage to surround the fin and the tube surfaces. The
owing to increase the solid layer front of the PCM in the TTHX.

4.1.4. The effect of the HTF mass flow rate

The influence of mass flow rate on the PCM solidification for both-
sides freezing method was carried out depending on the change in mass
flow rate of 16.2, 29.4 and 37.5 kg/min as shown in Figs. 10a and b for
PCM and nano-PCM. Increasing the mass flow rate increases the cooling
rate that causes decreasing the discharging time. This was due to in-
crease the thermal resistance owing to increase the solid layer front of
the Paraffin (RT82), especially after depressing nanoparticle, compare
with the pure PCM. The PCM was fully solidified in shorter time at mass
flow rate of 37.5 kg/min.

4.1.5. Angular temperature variations Fig. 9. Charging and discharging temperatures of the PCM and nano-PCM using
Fig. 11a displays the average temperature variations along the an- both-sides heating and freezing methods, respectively with a flow rate of
gular direction for both-sides freezing method at Ti = 65 ℃. The 37.5 kg/min.

7
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Fig. 12. The inlet and outlet temperatures of the HTF, the average temperature
of the PCM versus the time for the TTHX with longitudinal fins.

Table 2
The new mean and the standard uncertainties of the PCM thermal properties.
Solidification process

Onset point (℃ ) Peak point (℃ ) Heat of fusion (kJ/kg)

81.86 ± 78.158 ± 207.807 ±

0.02828 0.090358 1.359165

part of Paraffin retained in a liquid state because of the limitation of the

natural convection effectiveness. There were small convection cells
Fig. 10. a The effects of mass flow rate for both-sides freezing method on the created and extended after 10 min inside the middle tube and specifi-
solidifying PCM. b The effects of mass flow rate for both-sides freezing on the cally on fins walls. With increasing the time, large convection cells were
solidifying PCM under effect of the nanoparticle. formed at 60 min. The solid fraction of the Paraffin is increased and
extended to reach on the bottom part of the middle tube at 240 min.
There are some factors were dominated during this process, including
the effects of natural convection driven by buoyancy and the quick of
solid layer of the PCM, which is squeezed because of its high density.
The solid fraction was effectively increased in all directions of the tube
with time. As a result, the liquid fraction contours of the PCM solidi-
fication in the TTHX are displayed in Fig.13. The Paraffin (RT82) was
fully solidified at 780 min and 668 min for longitudinal and triangular
fins, respectively.

4.3.2. Nanoparticle dispersed technique

Eqs. (17–21) calculated some of the thermo-physical properties of
the nano-PCM under the effect of different volumetric concentrations of
nanoparticle. The thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of the
nano-PCM were higher than those of the pure PCM as shown in Table 3.
It can also be seen that the specific heat and latent heat of the nano-
PCM were lower than those of the PCM without nanoparticle. The dy-
namic viscosity of the nano-PCM is enhanced, and this may be affected
on the natural convection effectiveness that contributed the melting
and solidification. This variation in the thermal conductivity and dy-
namic viscosity accepted well with the findings reported in Ref. [9].

4.3.3. Fins-nanoparticle for enhancing the PCM solidification

As mentioned earlier for the behavior of pure PCM solidification,
the behavior of the nanoPCM was similar, but the reduction in solidi-
fication time was improved. The cooling rate between the fins wall, the
middle tube wall, the nanoparticle surface and the Paraffin liquid is
directly started after the PCM is entirely melted. At the early stage, a
very thin layer of PCM solid is created to surround the fins surface and
Fig. 11. a The average temperature variation along the angular direction for the cold wall of the middle tube under the effect of nanoparticle. The
both-sides freezing method. b The average temperature variation along the
rest of the PCM is retained liquid without any phase-transition because
angular direction for both-sides freezing method under effect of the nano-
the effects of the natural convection at the beginning were limited. The
particle.
Paraffin solid layer also gradually grows up at various times because of
increasing the natural convection effectiveness. Over time, the

8
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Fig. 13. Liquid fraction contours of the PCM in the TTHX obtained using longitudinal and triangular fins.

Table 3 consumes a short time to produce the biggest demand thermal energy
Variation of the thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of the nano-PCM. released, compared with the same PCM volume. At the same time, the
Volumetric concentration Thermal conductivity k (W/m Dynamic viscosity
liquid fraction values for nano-PCM were also lower than those of pure
ϕ (%) K) μ (kg/m s) PCM as shown in Table 4. The total energy more stores inside the PCM,
but consumes a longer time to produce the biggest demand thermal
Simple PCM 0.2 0.03499 energy released for Liquid Desiccant Air Conditioning Unite.
Nano-PCM with 1% Al2O3 0.206 0.0121161
Nano-PCM with 4% Al2O3 0.225 0.0485
Nano-PCM with 7% Al2O3 0.245 0.084812 4.5. Comparison of PCM solidification time
Nano-PCM with 10% Al2O3 0.265 0.121161

Fig. 16 compares the numerical data on the PCM solidification time

for the TTHX with longitudinal fins and TTHX with triangular fins, with
convection cells extended to reach on the bottom part of the middle
and without nanoparticle. As a general result, the thermal conductivity
tube. Thus, the solid fraction of the PCM was strongly extended in all
of the Paraffin (RT82) (0.2 W/m K) enhanced to 25% by dispersing 10%
directions with time. The Paraffin solid was squeezed due to its high
of Al2O3. The most interesting findings were that the solidification time
density, and the natural convection effect was driven by buoyancy. As a
was minimized with internal longitudinal fins-nanoparticle and internal
result, the liquid fraction contours of the PCM solidification under the
triangular fins-nanoparticle to 33% and 34%, respectively, compared
effect of 10% nanoparticle can be seen in Fig.14. The times required for
with the pure Paraffin. The main reason for that is, to enhance the
achieving the full PCM solidification in the TTHX with longitudinal fins
cooling rate between the fins wall, the middle tube wall and the Par-
and the TTHX with triangular fins were 520 min and 441 min, respec-
affin into TTHX by combination of fins-nanoparticle.
tively.

5. Conclusions
4.4. Total energy released
The purpose of this work was to assess the performance of the TTHX
Fig. 15 illustrates the total energy released for the PCM and nano- unite using a combination of fins-nanoparticle during PCM discharging
PCM in TTHX with internal triangular fins as a sample simulated using and employed the released energy for Liquid Desiccant Air
the Software Ansys Fluent 16 at the different times of the freezing Conditioning Unite. The both-sides freezing was used as main method
process. The nano-PCM has a lower energy released capacity, but to experimentally investigate the influence of mass flow rate (16.2, 29.4

9
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

Fig. 14. Liquid fraction contours of the PCM in the TTHX obtained using longitudinal and triangular fins-nanoparticle.

Fig. 16. Comparison of PCM solidification time for TTHX with and without
Fig. 15. The total energy released for the PCM and nano-PCM in TTHX-internal nanoparticle.
triangular fins.

and 37.5 kg/min) on the PCM solidification. This study has also shown
Table 4 that the discharging rate minimized as the angle direction increased
The Liquid fraction and total energy released of the PCM and nano-PCM in
from θ = 90° to θ = 270°. Numerically, the Paraffin (RT82) was fully
TTHX with internal triangular fins.
solidified at 780 min and 668 min for TTHX with longitudinal fins and
Time Liquid fraction Total energy released (kJ) TTHX with triangular fins, respectively. However, the total energy more
(min)
stores inside PCM, but consumes a longer time to produce the biggest
PCM nano-PCM PCM nano-PCM
demand thermal energy released. The most obvious findings to emerge
30 0.798801 0.752145 240.9688 163.4294 from this research are with nanoparticle, an important enhancement for
60 0.676442 0.608758 215.6957 145.8297 the PCM discharging (solidification), compared with these without
100 0.558266 0.477617 192.0092 129.4984 nanoparticle. Close agreement can be seen between numerical and ex-
160 0.443534 0.358431 168.8889 113.767
perimental data. Ultimately, the combination of fins-nanoparticle has a

10
A.M. Abdulateef, et al. Journal of Energy Storage 24 (2019) 100784

number of important implications for future practice in TES systems. efficient magnetic- and sunlight-driven energy conversion and storage, J. Mater.
Chem. A 5 (2017) 968–958.
[14] Z. Yuang, W. Jiasheng, Q. Jinjing, J. Xin, U.M. Malik, L. Rongwen, Z. Shufen,
Acknowledgements T. Bingtao, Ag-graphene/PEG composite phase change materials for enhancing
solar thermal energy conversion and storage capacity, Appl. Energy 237 (2019)
The authors gratefully appreciate the financial supports provided by 90–83.
[15] S. Ahmet, B. Alper, F.A. Al-Sulaiman, K. Ali, V.V. Tyagi, Diatomite/CNTs/PEG
Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia composite PCMs with shape-stabilized and improved thermal conductivity: pre-
(UKM), Malaysia. paration and thermal energy storage properties, Energy Build. 164 (2018) 175–166.
[16] Y. Xiaohu, Y. Jiabang, G. Zengxu, J. Liwen, H. Ya-Ling, Role of porous metal foam
on the heat transfer enhancement for a thermal energy storage tube, Appl. Energy
References 239 (2019) 156–142.
[17] Y. Xiaohu, G. Zengxu, L. Yanhua, J. Liwen, H. Ya-Ling, Effect of inclination on the
[1] S. Jegadheeswaran, S.D. Pohekar, Performance enhancement in latent heat thermal thermal response of composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage,
storage system: a review, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 13 (2009) 2244–2225. Appl. Energy 238 (2019) 33–22.
[2] A.M. Abdulateef, S. Mata, J. Abdulateef, K. Sopiana, A.A. Al-Abidi, Geometric and [18] X.H. Yang, T.J. Lu, T. Kim, Temperature effects on the effective thermal con-
design parameters of fins employed for enhancing thermal energy storage systems: ductivity of phase change materials with two distinctive phases, Int. Commun. Heat
a review, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 82 (2018) 1635–1620. Mass Transf. 38 (2011) 1348–1344.
[3] M.J. Hosseini, M. Rahimi, R. Bahrampoury, Experimental and computational evo- [19] M. Akgun, O. Aydin, K. Kaygusuz, Thermal energy storage performance of paraffin
lution of a shell and tube heat exchanger as a PCM thermal storage system, Int. in a novel tube-in-shell system, Appl. Therm. Eng. 28 (2008) 413–405.
Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 50 (2014) 136–128. [20] A.A.R. Darzi, M. Farhadi, K. Sedighi, Numerical study of melting inside concentric
[4] S. Seddegh, X. Wang, A.D. Henderson, A comparative study of thermal behaviour of and eccentric horizontal annulus, Appl. Math. Model. 36 (2012) 4086–4080.
a horizontal and vertical shell-and-tube energy storage using phase change mate- [21] A.D. Brent, V.R. Voller, K.J. Reid, Enthalpy-porosity technique for melting con-
rials, Appl. Therm. Eng. 93 (2016) 358–348. vection-diffusion phase change: application to the melting of a pure metal, Numer.
[5] N.H.S. Tay, F. Bruno, M. Belusko, Comparison of pinned and finned tubes in a phase Heat Transf. 13 (2007) 318–297.
change thermal energy storage system using CFD, Appl. Energy 104 (2013) 86–79. [22] C. Guo, W. Zhang, Numerical simulation and parametric study on new type of high
[6] Y. Xiaohu, L. Zhao, B. Qingsong, Z. Qunli, J. Liwen, Y. Jinyue, Thermal performance temperature latent heat thermal energy storage system, Energy Convers. Manage.
of a shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage unit: role of annular fins, 49 (2008) 927-919.
Appl. Energy 202 (2017) 570–558. [23] M.J. Hosseini, A.A. Ranjbar, K. Sedighi, M. Rahimi, A combined experimental and
[7] M. Rahimi, A.A. Ranjbar, D.D. Ganji, K. Sedighi, M.J. Hosseini, R. Bahrampoury, computational study on the melting behavior of a medium temperature phase
Analysis of geometrical and operational parameters of PCM in a fin and tube heat change storage material inside shell and tube heat exchanger, Int. Commun. Heat
exchanger, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 53 (2014) 115–109. Mass Transf. 39 (2012) 1424-1416.
[8] A. Sciacovelli, F. Gagliardi, V. Verda, Maximization of performance of a PCM latent [24] L.C. Chow, J.K. Zhong, Thermal conductivity enhancement for phase change sto-
heat storage system with innovative fins, Appl. Energy 137 (2015) 715–707. rage media, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 23 (1996) 100–191.
[9] A.V. Arasu, A.S. Mujumdar, Numerical study on melting of paraffin wax with Al2O3 [25] R.S. Vajjha, D.K. Das, P.K. Namburu, Numerical study of fluid dynamic and heat
in a square enclosure, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transf. 39 (2012) 18–16. transfer performance of Al2O3 and CuO nanofluids in the flat tubes of a radiator, Int.
[10] J.M. Mahdi, E.C. Nsofor, Melting enhancement in triplex-tube latent thermal energy J. Heat Fluid Flow 31 (2010) 621-613.
storage system using nanoparticles-fins combination, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 109 [26] S.V. Patankar, Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow, McGraw Hill, New York,
(2017) 427–417. 1980.
[11] A.A.R. Darzi, M. Jourabian, M. Farhadi, Melting and solidification of PCM enhanced [27] A.A. Al-Abidi, S. Mat, K. Sopian, M.Y. Sulaiman, A.T. Mohammad, CFD applications
by radial conductive fins and nanoparticles in cylindrical annulus, Energy Convers. for latent heat thermal energy storage: review, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 20
Manage. 118 (2016) 263–253. (2013) 363-353.
[12] Ş. Nurten, F. Magali, P. Halime, Improving thermal conductivity phase change [28] A.A. Al-Abidi, S. Mat, K. Sopian, M.Y. Sulaiman, A.T. Mohammad, Experimental
materials- a study of paraffin nanomagnetite composites, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. study of PCM melting in triplex tube thermal energy storage for liquid desiccant air
Cells 137 (2015) 67—61. conditioning system, Energy Build. 60 (2013) 279-270.
[13] W. Wentao, T. Bingtao, J. Benzhi, G. Zhanming, X. Jinghai, Z. Shufen, Fe3O4- [29] J.P. Holman, Experimental Methods for Engineers, McGraw Hill, New York, 2012.
functionalized graphene nanosheet embedded phase change material composites:

11