A comprehensive numerical study on melting performance in a storage cavity with partial metal foam integration: Design and economic assessment

Abstract

Despite remarkable technological progress aimed at improving thermal performance of storage systems, designing cost-effective thermal storage solutions still remains a challenge. Consequently, to address this gap, the current study provides a detailed numerical analysis of the melting performance within a storage cavity with partial metal foam integration, considering both design and economic aspects. Five distinct designs were considered to provide a comprehensive assessment of the melting process including non-porous and porous designs. Various factors such as foam position, foam shape and foam filling ratio were examined under different criteria. The results revealed that designs employing kite-shaped, triangular-shaped, square-shaped, and trapezoidal-shaped foam under optimal location resulted in melting time reduction of 74.8 %, 67.0 %, 50.9 %, and 42.8 %, respectively, in comparison to the non-porous design. The findings highlight the kit-shaped foam as the optimal foam shape, with a notable 7.8 % difference in melting times between designs with kite and triangular foams, and an 8.1 % disparity between designs with square and trapezoidal foams. From an economic assessment, it was found that the kit-shaped foam filling design, with a 1/3 filling ratio, proved to be cost-effective when the unit price ratio of the metal foam to PCM fell within the range of 4 to 12. Interestingly, for ratios below 4, the same design, with a 1/2 filling ratio, emerged as an economical solution. This study contributes to the field by providing quantitative insights into the design and economic viability of metal foam integrated thermal storage systems.