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Radially graded metal foams arrangement in heat storage device of photothermal utilization systems

Guo, Junfei ; Wei, Pan ; Huang, Xinyu ; Yang, Xiaohu ; He, Ya Ling and Sundén, Bengt LU (2023) In Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 256.
Abstract

Metal foam was adopted for improving inherent low thermal conductivity of traditional thermal energy storage (TES), which conducted higher solar energy conversion efficiency. With consideration of more energy response and the mixing enhancement effect on heat conduction and natural convection, this work investigated a vertical TES tube in solar energy photothermal utilization systems, embedded in metallic foam with radial gradient porosity and pore density. Experiments and simulations have both been carried out. It is thoroughly examined how the liquid fraction, solid-liquid interface, temperature field, and velocity field evolve, and the properties of energy storage, such as heat transfer density and energy storage quantity, are... (More)

Metal foam was adopted for improving inherent low thermal conductivity of traditional thermal energy storage (TES), which conducted higher solar energy conversion efficiency. With consideration of more energy response and the mixing enhancement effect on heat conduction and natural convection, this work investigated a vertical TES tube in solar energy photothermal utilization systems, embedded in metallic foam with radial gradient porosity and pore density. Experiments and simulations have both been carried out. It is thoroughly examined how the liquid fraction, solid-liquid interface, temperature field, and velocity field evolve, and the properties of energy storage, such as heat transfer density and energy storage quantity, are further assessed. Results demonstrated that the melting duration was shortened by 11.2% for the positive radially graded porosity arrangement and prolonged by 16.8% for the negative, in comparison to the homogeneous structure. Meanwhile, influenced by the varied porosity, the temperature uniformity was enhanced by 4.9% for the positive and was deteriorated by 15.1% for the negative. In addition, positive and negative gradient pore density respectively increased the temperature uniformity of by 15.1% and 16.7%. Based above, metal foam tube with negative gradient porosity and pore density was suggested to build the more efficient photothermal solar energy conversion systems due to faster melting process and more homogeneous temperature uniformity.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Gradient design, Heat transfer, Latent thermal energy storage, Metal foam, Pore density, Porosity
in
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
volume
256
article number
112315
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85152602385
ISSN
0927-0248
DOI
10.1016/j.solmat.2023.112315
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
449e4d5e-e11b-44d4-aea0-95636135c322
date added to LUP
2023-06-21 14:57:14
date last changed
2023-11-08 07:22:02
@article{449e4d5e-e11b-44d4-aea0-95636135c322,
  abstract     = {{<p>Metal foam was adopted for improving inherent low thermal conductivity of traditional thermal energy storage (TES), which conducted higher solar energy conversion efficiency. With consideration of more energy response and the mixing enhancement effect on heat conduction and natural convection, this work investigated a vertical TES tube in solar energy photothermal utilization systems, embedded in metallic foam with radial gradient porosity and pore density. Experiments and simulations have both been carried out. It is thoroughly examined how the liquid fraction, solid-liquid interface, temperature field, and velocity field evolve, and the properties of energy storage, such as heat transfer density and energy storage quantity, are further assessed. Results demonstrated that the melting duration was shortened by 11.2% for the positive radially graded porosity arrangement and prolonged by 16.8% for the negative, in comparison to the homogeneous structure. Meanwhile, influenced by the varied porosity, the temperature uniformity was enhanced by 4.9% for the positive and was deteriorated by 15.1% for the negative. In addition, positive and negative gradient pore density respectively increased the temperature uniformity of by 15.1% and 16.7%. Based above, metal foam tube with negative gradient porosity and pore density was suggested to build the more efficient photothermal solar energy conversion systems due to faster melting process and more homogeneous temperature uniformity.</p>}},
  author       = {{Guo, Junfei and Wei, Pan and Huang, Xinyu and Yang, Xiaohu and He, Ya Ling and Sundén, Bengt}},
  issn         = {{0927-0248}},
  keywords     = {{Gradient design; Heat transfer; Latent thermal energy storage; Metal foam; Pore density; Porosity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells}},
  title        = {{Radially graded metal foams arrangement in heat storage device of photothermal utilization systems}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2023.112315}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.solmat.2023.112315}},
  volume       = {{256}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}