Numerical analysis of heat transfer performance of fin-structured heating phase change radiator in a wide phase change melting temperature range

Abstract : This study employs numerical simulation methods to systematically analyze the heat transfer performance of heating phase change radiators, for the effects of thermal boundary conditions, fin structures and phase change temperature range. The research finds that, without the fins, the melting efficiency of the PCM increases with the increase in the internal pipe radius parameter R 1 + R 2 . When R 1 + R 2 remains constant, a larger R 2 results in higher melting efficiency. The average Nusselt number on the side wall experiences significant oscillations before reaching steady state. The introduction of fins effectively eliminates the heat transfer discrepancies caused by the interchange of R 1 and R 2 sizes and significantly enhances the melting efficiency of PCM. When R 1 + R 2 = 0.6, the increase in melting efficiency can reach up to 85.2%. A smaller phase change temperature range leads to higher melting efficiency for the phase change material, with a faster rate of change in the wall Nusselt number and a larger oscillation amplitude. However, after heat transfer stabilizes, the Nusselt number tends to become consistent. The introduction of fins effectively mitigates the influence of the phase change temperature range on both melting efficiency and the variation of the Nusselt number.