Melting performance enhancement in a thermal energy storage unit using active vortex generation by electric field

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) devices aid in efficient utilization of alternate energy systems and improve their ability to handle supply–demand fluctuations. A numerical analysis of melting performance in a shell-and-tube LHTES unit in the presence of a direct current (DC) electric field has been performed. The governing equations of fluid flow, heat transfer, electric potential and charge conservation are solved using a customized finite-volume solver built in the open-source framework of OpenFOAM. Enthalpy-porosity method based fixed grid approach is used to track the melt interface. Primary objective of the study is to highlight the interface and flow morphology evolution in the presence of electric field induced flow and to evaluate the melting performance of the LHTES unit. The transient evolution of the melting process in the presence of electric field has been mapped in terms of total liquid fraction, kinetic energy density and mean Nusselt number. The charge injection from the tube surface generates multiple electrohydrodynamic (EHD) flow vortices in the liquid region. Thus, the inherent uni-cellular flow structure of the natural convection driven melting is disrupted. The multi-cellular flow structure with stronger velocity distribution enhances mixing and heat transfer. Melting performance at various levels of applied voltages (0≤V≤10kV) in both vertical and horizontal orientations of the LHTES unit has been quantified in terms of charging time and total power storage. The charging time gets shorter and total power storage gets higher with increasing applied voltages. In the vertical orientation, a maximum 82.52% reduction in charging time and 80.85% increase in net power storage is achieved. In the horizontal orientation, weaker buoyancy force leads to stronger influence of the electric field. A maximum of 89.61% reduction in charging time and 88.35% increase in power storage is achieved in the horizontal orientation. The results of this study aid in understanding the mechanism of EHD flow assisted melting and provide a reference for design of a shell-and-tube LHTES unit with improved performance.