Thermal capacitor design rationale
Abstract
A theoretical analysis was conducted to provide a quantitative understanding of the performance of a thermal capacitor which utilizes a phase change material for heat storage. The total function of the thermal capacitor is divided into a presolidification regime, and a solidification regime. The theoretical analysis was conducted in two parts to determine the internal temperature distribution and the temperature of the circulating coolant at various locations in the coolant passage as a function of time. An integral transform technique was used to solve the heat conduction problem describing the behavior of the capacitor in the presolidification regime. The heat flux at the inner wall of the paraffin chamber is obtained in terms of the wall temperature from the temperature distribution in the liquid phase. Two simultaneous partial differential equations for the wall and coolant temperature were obtained by performing an energy balance on an elemental section of the coolant passage and the passage wall.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 1974
- Bibcode:
- 1974PhDT........43L
- Keywords:
-
- Capacitors;
- Design Analysis;
- Heat Storage;
- Thermal Energy;
- Conductive Heat Transfer;
- Coolants;
- Heat Balance;
- Iterative Solution;
- Partial Differential Equations;
- Temperature Distribution;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer