2025/01/01 by Mohib Hussain, Faten Labassi, Hassan Waqas +2 · 1 voice
Energy · Engineering · #Adsorption and Cooling Systems #Phase Change Materials Research #Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Systems
paper · pdf · doi:10.1515/ntrev-2025-0231
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/12/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract Employing phase change materials (PCMs) in a latent heat storage system is an exceptionally effective strategy for thermal energy storage. However, a significant difficulty is the PCMs restricted thermal conductivity, which limits its applicability. Different techniques have been devised to increase the PCM thermal conductivity, such as adding fins, metal foams, or nanoparticles, to overcome this limitation. In this investigation, we introduce a novel trapezoidal fin and nanoparticle-infused phase change material (PCM) to improve the melting efficiency of the latent heat thermal energy storage system (LHTESS). Molten salt serves as the pure phase change material, while alumina and multiwalled carbon nanotubes function as the included nanoparticles. For computational analysis, we utilize computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in conjunction with a feed-forward artificial neural network (FF-ANN). Consequently, the nanoparticles significantly enhance the heat storage and release rates by shorter melting periods. The results show that, compared to the regular fin type with pure PCM, the melting time of the nano-integrated PCM is reduced 39 %-Case 1, 41 % -Case 2, 25 % -Case 3, and 15.9 % for Case 11 when using a modified trapezoidal fin. The minimized mean square error (MSE) and a regression measurement of 1 for the ANN training signified a robust association between predictions and actual outcomes. In conclusion, proposed investigation enhances the comprehension of nano-enhanced phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES), facilitating the advancement of energy-efficient and sustainable energy storage solutions.