Engineering and Technology Journal

Abstract

This work describes and analyses thermal storage system as a phase change problem which
involves a fluid flowing inside cooled tubes in a staggered arrangement installed in a rectangular
duct surrounded by a phase - change material (water).
The temperature of the fluid inside the tubes is below the freezing temperature of the PCM which
causes ice formation around each tubes. The problem is modeled as, two- dimensional, time
dependent and convection–dominated phenomena .A finite volume numerical approach is
developed and used to simulate the physical details of the problem .This approach is based on the
enthalpy method which is traditionally used to track the motion of the liquid – solid front and
obtain the temperature and velocity profiles in the liquid –phase. The study gives an instruction on
the presentation of ice – on – coil storage tank. Results of solidification experiments are used to
assess and evaluate the performance.