Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

A numerical study on variations of thermo-physical properties of Phase Change Material (PCM) due to dispersion of nanoparticles is presented in this article. Dispersed metal oxide nanoparticles in paraffin wax might be a solution to improve latent heat thermal storage performance. Thermo-physical properties such as thermal conductivity and latent heat could be changed for different concentration of dispersed nanoparticle. The paper will focus on numerical investigation of the melting of paraffin wax dispersed with three different metal oxide Alumina (Al2 O)3 , Copper Oxide (CuO) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) that is heated from one side of rectangular enclosure of dimensions of 25 mm × 75 mm. The integrated simulation system ANSYS Workbench 15.0 for the numerical study was used including mesh generation tool ICEM and FLUENT software. In FLUENT, the melting model with Volume Of Fluid (VOF) that includes the physical model to disperse nanoparticles in the PCM and their interactions is applied. During melting process, the enhancement of heat transfer is considered. For each nanoparticle analyzed, three different volume fractions are considered and compared. Dispersed nanoparticles in smaller volumetric fractions show a rise the heat transfer rate. The thermal performances are slightly greater using Al2 O3 respect both ZnO that CuO nanoparticles.

Keywords: Thermal Storage System; Phase Change Material; Paraffin Wax; Melting Process; Metal Oxide Nanoparticles