What is it about?
This study explores how phase change materials (PCMs), specifically magnesium chloride hexahydrate (MgCl₂·6H₂O), can help store energy for solar-powered absorption cooling systems when sunlight isn’t available. Researchers compared two types of heat exchangers—a flat plate and a corrugated plate—to see which transferred heat more effectively under cooling conditions. While the corrugated (chevron-style) plate boosted heat transfer, the flat plate allowed the cooling system to run longer because it kept the output temperature closer to ideal levels. Using numerical simulations, the study also found that reducing PCM thickness and increasing both fluid temperature and flow improved heat transfer. However, the biggest barrier to efficiency remained within the PCM itself, highlighting an area for further improvement in energy storage systems.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because it helps make solar-powered cooling systems more reliable, especially when the sun isn’t shining. By studying how different types of heat exchangers work with special materials that store heat—kind of like a thermal battery—the researchers found ways to keep these systems running longer and more efficiently. This matters for places that rely on solar energy and need cooling, like remote or off-grid areas. The work points to simple but effective design tweaks that can make clean, sustainable cooling a more practical option for real-world use.
Perspectives
In the future, this research could help create better and more reliable ways to store heat for solar-powered cooling systems, especially in places without easy access to electricity, like remote homes or off-grid buildings. This means people could stay comfortable and cool using clean energy, even when the sun isn’t out. The ideas from this study could also lead to smaller, more affordable energy storage solutions that can be used not just in homes, but in things like refrigerated transport or factories, making cooling greener and more efficient overall.
Professor Rosenberg J Romero
Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos
This paper is interesting because develops a simple mathematical model for a plate plate heat exchanger using a latent heat storage tank
Jesús Cerezo
Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Numerical Analysis of a Latent Heat Storage Using Plate Heat Exchanger for Absorption System Conditions, Processes, April 2022, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/pr10050815.
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