Improving the thermal performance of nano-encapsulated phase change material slurry by changing fins configurations in a rectangular cavity

The transition to renewable energy is heavily reliant on batteries and energy storage devices, making them a crucial technology of the modern era. The sensitivity of batteries to temperature has been a constant challenge in the development of this technology. Thermal management, creating uniform temperature and proper heat transfer by cooling is very critical in these systems. The popularity of nePCMs is increasing in energy storage and cooling systems due to their remarkable latent heat during phase change. This is because nano-encapsulated phase change materials are being widely used. They are considered to be one of the most promising particles in this application. This research is a case study free convection of nano-encapsulated Phase Change Materials (nePCM) slurry with a volume fraction of 5% and a polyurethane shell and n-nonadecane core in a rectangular chamber was homogeneously simulated and investigated. The temperature of the left wall remains consistent and there are three fins present to enhance the transfer of heat. The governing equations are transformed into dimensionless form and solved numerically using OpenFOAM software. Various parameters such as fin geometry, chamber angle, Rayleigh number, and melting point temperature are altered to assess their impact on velocity profile components, temperature distribution, Cr contours, Nusselt number, and fin efficiency. Based on the results, Y-shape and T-shape fin geometries can increase the efficiency of water-nePCM fluid by about 10% for Ra = 100 and about 26 % for Ra = 10⁴ compared to I-shape fin. Also, increasing the Rayleigh number from Ra = 100 to Ra = 10⁴ improves the average Nusselt number for water-nePCM nanofluids by about 100 % in each of the fin geometries.