Mahboobe Mahdavi
Gannon University, Erie, PA16541, USA
Saeed Tiari
Gannon University, Erie, PA 16541, USA
Carley Sawyer
Gannon University, Erie, PA 16541, USA
In the present study, dispersion of highly conductive nanoparticles is used as a heat transfer enhancement method to improve the charging time in latent heat thermal energy storage systems. Rubitherm 55 is used as a phase change material (PCM) and is enclosed in a rectangular container. The melting process commences with the application of heat at the right side-wall. The effect of the concentration of nanoparticles on the melting time is studied for various aspect ratios of the container. The results indicate that a lower melting time is obtained for a wider container (i.e larger aspect ratio). For all the considered cases, the addition of the nanoparticles decreases the melting time; however, a more pronounced decrease in melting time was observed for the narrower containers.