Heat transfer enhancement in a paraffin wax thermal storage system

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3267599· OSTI ID:6292880

Eftekhar, J; Haji-Sheikh, A; Lou, Y S

Heat transfer enhancement in a thermal storage system consisting of vertically arranged fins between a heated and cooled horizontal finned-tube arrangement is reported. The high thermal expansion coefficient and low viscosity of paraffin wax, at temperatures above 50/sup 0/C, are utilized to induce natural convection in the liquid phase even at small thicknesses. The experimental data on the rate of production of liquid as a function of time and temperature of the hot surface is presented. The photographs of the melted zone indicate a naturally buoyant flow induced in the neighborhood of the vertical fins causes a rapid melting of the solid wax and a downdraft along the cooler solid phase surface. The heat transfer coefficient at the interface is calculated from experimentally determined instantaneous locations of the moving boundary.

• Research Organization: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
• OSTI ID: 6292880
• Journal Information: J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Sol. Energy Eng.; (United States) Vol. 106:3; ISSN JSEED
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
142000* -- Solar Energy-- Heat Storage-- (1980-)
ALKANES
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CALCULATION METHODS
CONVECTION
DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
EXPANSION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FINS
FLUIDS
HEAT TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS
HYDROCARBONS
INFORMATION
INTERFACES
MASS TRANSFER
MELTING
NATURAL CONVECTION
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARAFFIN
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
THERMAL EXPANSION
THERMODYNAMICS
TUBES
VISCOSITY
WAXES