Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage

Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage

Investigating Numerically the Impact of Phase Change Materials on Heat Exchangers to Optimize Energy Consumption

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Seyyed Amirreza Abdollahi 1
Seyed Kazem Yekani 1
Seyyed Faramarz Ranjbar 1
Seyed Esmail Razavi 1
Mostafa Barzegar Gerdroodbary 2
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2 Department of Electromechanical Engineering, C-MAST-Center for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technology, Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal
10.22104/hfe.2026.7415.1344
Abstract
This article presents a novel three‑dimensional numerical investigation of turbulent water–air flow and displacement heat transfer in a shell‑and‑tube heat exchanger enhanced with paraffin phase‑change material (PCM) and aluminum oxide nanoparticles. Covering Reynolds numbers from 0 to 3 000, the governing equations are solved via the finite‑volume method.The study's findings indicate that employing phase-change material surrounding the tube and keeping a steady heat flux can both increase a shell and tube heat exchanger's penetration coefficient. The impact of this modification has been compared to that of a straight, circular tube, providing practical insights for heat exchanger design. The chosen fluid flow exhibits turbulence as it moves through the tube and collides with the thermal boundary layer, increasing the internal transfer coefficient of the fluid flow. The findings show an insignificant error of 8.71\% for the grid independence section.
Keywords
Heat exchangers
Phase change material
Optimization of energy consumption
Thermal comfort
Subjects
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Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage
Volume 13, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 105-112