Investigating Numerically the Impact of Phase Change Materials on Heat Exchangers to Optimize Energy Consumption

This article presents a novel three‑dimensional numerical investigation of turbulent water–air flow and displacement heat transfer in a shell‑and‑tube heat exchanger enhanced with paraffin phase‑change material (PCM) and aluminum oxide nanoparticles. Covering Reynolds numbers from ۰ to ۳ ۰۰۰, the governing equations are solved via the finite‑volume method.The study's findings indicate that employing phase-change material surrounding the tube and keeping a steady heat flux can both increase a shell and tube heat exchanger's penetration coefficient. The impact of this modification has been compared to that of a straight, circular tube, providing practical insights for heat exchanger design. The chosen fluid flow exhibits turbulence as it moves through the tube and collides with the thermal boundary layer, increasing the internal transfer coefficient of the fluid flow. The findings show an insignificant error of ۸.۷۱\% for the grid independence section.

کلیدواژه ها:

Heat exchangers ، Phase change material ، Optimization of energy consumption ، Thermal comfort