Heat management in sonochemical reactor using fins-PCM integrated system: Unveiling the influence of the sonicated volume

Abstract

With the purpose of enhancing the heat management in the ultrasonic reactor, the present innovative research aims at the exploration of the thermal behavior of sonochemical reactor integrated with fins and phase change material (PCM), focusing on the influence of different liquid heights (LH). The performance of this combination (i.e., sonicated water, fins, and PCM) is investigated for the first time with consideration of the water volume variation. The interplay between fins, liquid height and heat transfer efficiency is explored through detailed numerical analysis of temperature profiles, PCM melt fractions, and enthalpy distributions. The numerical investigation has been conducted using a validated CFD model implemented in ANSYS Fluent® software. The results highlight the significant role of fins in accelerating the PCM melting process and improving heat transfer within the reactor. Notably, fins facilitates efficient conductive heat transfer during the early stages of melting. At t = 1000 s, PCM melt percentages of 22.2 %, 32.6 % and 30 % were attained with fins, compared to 15 %, 18 % and 22 % (without fins), for LH = 5.1, 10.2 and 15.3 cm, respectively. Therefore, LH = 10.2 cm showcased a 43.5 % improvement at this specific time point (1000 s). Moving forward to t = 2000 s, the most favorable melting performance is achieved with LH = 15.3 cm, resulting in a melting percentage increase to 66 % (with fins) compared to 44 % (without fins). Besides, the inclusion of fins results in significant increases of 32.56 % (5.1 cm), 57.6 % (10.2 cm) and 14.4 % (15.3 cm) in PCM enthalpy, while water temperature declined by approximately 4 K for LH = 5.1, 10.2 and 15.3 cm. These outcomes indicate clearly the importance of fins in improving the heat transfer from the irradiated water to the surrounding PCM in the annular space of the reactor.