3D Numerical Analysis of a Phase Change Material Applied to a Thermal Energy Storage System

Thermal energy storage systems are valuable for addressing mismatch between energy supply and demand. The use of Phase Change Material (PCM) improves the thermal storage capacity because of its high energy storage density as latent heat, during solid- liquid phase changes at constant temperature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the thermal behavior of a heat exchanger device containing a phase change material with numerical simulation using ANSYS Fluent and to validate the outcomes by experimental results. A Three-dimensional CFD simulation with a physical enthalpy-porosity approach was utilized to study the phase change transition. The numerical results are very close to those obtained experimentally. During the charge process, the phase change begins after 1000 seconds, with a total thermal flux reaching 16.2134 W and a density equal to 778.1541 kg.m-3.