Experimental investigation of the heat transfer performance of a phase change cold energy storage device based on flat miniature heat pipe arrays

Phase change cold energy storage devices (PCCESDs) that use thermoelectric coolers (TEC) as cooling sources have promising application prospects for alleviating the mismatch between energy supply and demand. Here, a new type of PCCESD based on flat miniature heat pipe arrays (FMHPAs) was designed. The device utilized a TEC as the cooling source and 10# paraffin wax as the phase change cold energy storage material. The effects of the operating voltage and flow rate of the chilled water of TEC and the different flow rates and temperatures of heat transfer air (HTA) were analyzed. The results indicated that the addition of FMHPA could effectively enhance the performance of the device. Under the experimental conditions of this study, when the chilled water flow rate was fixed at 1 m³/h, the cooling power of the TEC peaked at 14.94 W as the operating voltage increased to 6 V; then, the cooling power tapered off. The cooling power of the TEC reached 15.97 W at an operating voltage of 7 V and a chilled water flow rate of 1.5 m³/h. Under this condition, the charging process was completed in the shortest time (134 min). Additionally, when the flow rate and temperature of the HTA were 2 m/s and 33 °C, respectively, the discharging process was completed first (62 min).