Abstract:

Energy storage is becoming increasingly important and plays an important role in the optimal use of available energy. Thermal energy storage is among the more efficient uses of energy. There are factors that affect thermal energy storage. One of these factors is porous media, which affects the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM) thanks to its high thermal conductivity. In this study, the effect of wire meshes with different number of layers on the melting rate of the phase change material was experimentally investigated. In the case of non-wire mesh and different numbers of wire mesh in the test chamber, different combinations of experiments were created. These experimental combinations were investigated at least three different asymmetric constant heat flux boundary conditions. In time-dependent experiments, the melting times of the phase-change material were analyzed and the corresponding heater plate surface temperatures were investigated. Compared to the absence of wire mesh in the test chamber, the melting time of the phase-change material in the case of 8-layer wire mesh improves between 2% and 24% depending on the position of the thermocouples, while this situation is up to 16% in the case of 4-layer wire mesh. The structure of the porous medium and the thermal conductivity coefficient affect the thermal storage performance, temperature distribution and melting time of the phase change material.

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