@article{01HZHPH0JBXZ4X26MVXABG57TG,
  abstract     = {{Phase Change Materials (PCM) play an essential role in latent thermal energy storage (LTES) systems, where understanding the phase change front movement is crucial for system characterization, as the shape and location of the phase change front are linked to the internal energy change of the system. This study explores different experimental methods to track the phase change front in PCM heat exchangers, focusing on melting experiments in a one-meter vertical tube-in-tube heat exchanger with water as the heat transfer fluid and paraffin RT35HC in the outer tube. The phase change front evolution during the solid shrinking melting regime is tracked with three different front tracking methods: visual tracking using a camera on a linear slider, the threshold temperature method, and the elbow temperature method. Visual tracking provides detailed data with an S-shaped front position curve and variable front movement speed, revealing two sub-regimes within the solid shrinking melting regime. However, its application is limited by visual access constraints. In contrast, the thermocouple-based methods offer insights without visual access. With these methods average front speeds can be determined. The average front movement speeds align with the average front speed based on the visual data, but capturing dynamic front movement is not possible with solely thermocouple measurements. The findings suggest that visual tracking is preferred for detailed experimental data on phase change front evolution. This study provides crucial insights into phase change front movement during melting, aiding in understanding heat transfer mechanisms during solid-liquid phase change and contributing to the development of a general design method for LTES heat exchangers.}},
  articleno    = {{112053}},
  author       = {{Goderis, Maité and Van Zele, Julie and Couvreur, Kenny and Beyne, Wim and De Paepe, Michel}},
  issn         = {{2352-152X}},
  journal      = {{JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE}},
  keywords     = {{phase change front movement,phase change material,melting,experimental,tube-in-tube heat exchanger}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{14}},
  title        = {{Phase change front tracking methods in a vertical tube-in-tube phase change material heat exchanger}},
  url          = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.112053}},
  volume       = {{92}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}

Altmetric

View in Altmetric

Web of Science

Times cited: