Enhanced melting performance of nano-mediated phase change material with rectangular and parallelogram fins for thermal energy storage

Abstract Thermal energy storage (TES) systems increasingly use phase change materials (PCMs) as a crucial element to alleviate energy shortages and maintain supply-demand balance. However, the low thermal conductivity of these PCMs presents a substantial obstacle to their application. The current investigation is proposed to examine the melting. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used in this study to look at how nano-particles mixed with PCM (nano-PCM) melt when they come in contact with new fin designs that are shaped like rectangles and parallelograms. We examine various fin geometries and different fin angles ($15^\circ , 30^\circ , 45^\circ , 60^\circ , 75^\circ , 90^\circ )$ in a rectangular cavity, evaluating their effectiveness in TES systems. The highest and lowest melting times are observed at $0^\circ$ and $60^\circ$, indicating that fin angles had a major impact on melting times. Also, the PCM melting times for the different geometries were not all the same. At a $60^\circ$ angle, the case 5 fin design had the fastest melting time. Conclusively, the use of nano-particles and modifications to the fin model shorten the melting time and enhance the energy charging rate. The results may influence future research focused on enhancing the energy storage potential of PCMs and designing more advanced TES systems.