Design and operating evaluation of a fifinned shell-and-tube thermal energy storage unit fifilled with metal foam

• Finned metal foam tube maximizes the heat transfer effffect among the four tubes. 

• Metal foam improves the temperature fifield uniformity of phase change materials. 

• Metal foam in phase change materials severely limits the natural convection. 

• The flflow rate has the strongest inflfluence on fifinned metal foam tube. 

• The fifinned metal foam structure outperforms other heat transfer techniques.

Role of porous metal foam on the heat transfer enhancement for a thermal energy storage tube

• Metal foam should be arranged in both heat transfer flfluid and phase change material;

• Metal foam in phase change materials improves uniformity of temperature fifield; 

• Full melting time was maximally reduced by 88.548% compared with smooth tube; 

• j-factor was increased by 5186.91% if HTF and PCM were inserted with metal foam.

Thermal response of annuli fifilled with metal foam for thermal energy storage: An experimental study

• A funnel-like phase interface was experimentally visualized during melting process. 

• Melting fraction was calculated through 3D reconstruction on the 2D interface images. 

• Open-cell metal foam signifificantly enhanced heat transfer and improved temperature uniformity. 

• Increasing injection velocity had little effffect on promoting charging process.