Experimental and numerical analysis of thermal performance of shape stabilized PCM in a solar thermal collector

A typical solar domestic water heating system suffers from low energy efficiency due to multiple heat transfer process among components, i.e., the thermal collector and storage. In this work, a compact design of storage-integrated its compatible phase change material (PCM) storage were explored. The salt hydrate based composite PCM, sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT), was used create shape stabilized PCM (ssPCMs) for feasible by leakage high conductivity. developed ssPCMs has been tested experimentally numerical model obtain effective property comparing predicted results with measurements. Furthermore, study (dis)charging behavior in which is composed an evacuated tube double spiral coils exchanger. geometrical optimization performed achieve 2.6 times longer discharging period minimum outlet temperature 55 °C. Moreover, circulating found useful increasing charging rate 9% transferring surface center tube.