Using Longitudinal Fins to Improve the Melting Performance of Stearic Acid in Thermal Energy Storage Devices

The heat transfer efficiency of a thermal energy storage unit(TESU)can be improved by the addition of novel longitudinal fins.A series of TESUs are analyzed using the finite volume method(FVM)to determine the effect of fin angle on the heat transfer performance.As the fin angle increases,the TES rate first increases,then decreases,reaching a maximum rate at 60°,where the melting time is less by 30.9%,28.58%,21.99%,9.02%,and 18.1%than at 0°,15°,30°,45°,and 80°,respectively.In addition,it is found that the melting time of the phase change material is significantly greater at the bottom of the TESU.The time percentage of this stage decreases as the fin angle increases through these percentages by 7%,14%,23%,33%,and 20%,respectively.Further,the response surface methodology(RSM)is applied to optimize the longitudinal fin by minimizing the total melting time.The analysis concludes that a fin angle of 58.68°reduces the complete melting time of the stearic acid by 44%below the time at 0°.These findings fill a gap in knowledge of the effect on melting performance of the design angle of longitudinal fins and provide a reference for the design of horizontally placed longitudinal finned thermal energy storage units.