Melting of a phase change material on a finned-tube heat exchanger

In this thesis study, an experimental investigetion is carried out for solidification and melting of a phase change material around a horizontal finned tube. The effects of some geometrical and flow parameters on charging and discharging of the cold thermal energy are investigated. Afterwards the experiment results are compared with each other. The aim of this study is to reveal the changes in the amount of stored thermal energy by changing the fin diameter, fin spacing and the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid. It is shown that each of the parameters affects the amount of stored or released cold thermal energy in a different rate. Keywords: Thermal energy storage, Melting, Finned tube, Phase change material