Pitch Effects of Encapsulated Phase Change Material Tubes on Charging and Discharging of Solar Thermal Collectors

Comparative studies of five cases of solar collectors have been simulated by the Non-Dimensional Lattice Boltzmann Method (NDLBM) to obtain the effects of the encapsulated phase change material tubes. Both charging and discharging procedures have been compared. The transient averaged temperature, PCM porosity, and energy ratio are presented. Five geometry cases of solar collectors with and without encapsulated phase change material tubes have been simulated. Transient isotherms and streamlines with porosity have been shown for both outside and inside PCM tube regions. The performance enhancement because of the PCM tubes has been presented and the effects due to distributions of the PCM tubes are also discussed. The Pitch effects have been compared based on the three cases.