Numerical investigation of the effect of thermo physical properties on the performance of heat storage system

Two-dimensional mathematical model of latent heat storage performance was presented for heat storage system in consideration of the conduction of container wall, and only the process of phase change heat transfer was considered by conduction. The decoupled method computational model was used to analyze the phase change process of phase change material (PCM). Numerical calculation and comparison of the melting process of PCM were conducted for various types of container materials. The results show that thermo physical properties of thermal conductivity, specific heat and density of the container material have very important effects on the melting of PCM. Furthermore, numerical calculation and comparison of the melting process of PCM were conducted for different values of initial temperature and boundary wall temperature. The conclusion provides guidelines for latent heat storage system thermal performance and design optimization.