Numerical investigation of a snowflake-shaped fin-assisted latent heat storage system using nanofluid

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) units can store important amounts of energy by employing phase change materials (PCMs). PCMs have a relatively inadequate thermal conductivity which hinders the thermal performance of LHTES. Thus, it is imperative to take measures to improve thermal conductivity or heat transfer within LHTES units. This article examines the heat diffusion improvement within wavy snowflake-shaped containers filled with nano-enhanced PCM (NEPCM). N-Octadecane enhanced with Al₂O₃ nanoparticles, respectively, are used as nanoparticles and PCM. A numerical model was developed using the standard Galerkin Finite Element Method to analyze the phase change phenomenon. The thermal performance of the LHTES is determined using thermodynamics' first and second laws. The effects of nanoparticle volume fractions (φ) and geometry parameters on the melting rate are investigated. The major findings revealed that the melting process could be well controlled using a lattice of heated fins. Also, the growth in waviness parameter and φ enhances the rates of the heat transfer and average liquid fraction.