Numerical analysis of inner heating tube position for improving solid-phase transition in a shell-and-tube heat accumulator

Latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) system is vital to reduce environment pollution. In the shell-and-tube heat accumulator, the position of the inner heating tube plays a vital role in the thermal storage. To analyze the effect of the inner tube position on the phase transition, a two-dimensional numerical model is developed. The structure has the minimum full melting time of 3480 s when the inner tube is 12 mm (L = 12 mm) from the center. Compared with L = 0 mm, the full melting time at L = 12 mm can be reduced by 13.4%.