Numerical study of a positive latent cold storage system for industrial applications: Discharge mode

Abstract In this work, a comprehensive numerical study on a latent heat storage system is presented. The adopted storage system consists of a tank with a fixed bed of phase-change materials (PCMs). A numerical model simulating the dynamic and thermal behaviour of this system during the discharge period has been developed and validated using experimental data from the literature. During the discharge mode, when the inlet heat transfer fluid (HTF) is maintained at a temperature near the melting temperature of the PCM, a quasi-stabilization of the outlet HTF temperature is observed. The duration of the discharged energy is increased when the flowrate of the fluid is decreased. A detailed study was also carried out to better understand the behaviour of latent storage system using multiple PCMs. The obtained results for a multi-PCM configurations reveal that the latent energy released during the discharge period depends on the placement order of the PCMs inside the tank, the flow rate of the HTF and the level temperature of the HTF at the inlet to the tank. This numerical study could a be a key solution in industrial cold applications such as air conditioning and thermal comfort, the medical and food sectors.