Numerical Study of a Thermal Energy Storage Device Utilizing Graphite Foam Infiltrated with a Phase Change Material

Phase change materials (PCM) utilized for energy storage have notoriously low thermal conductivities. As a result, systems based only on a PCM have large internal thermal gradients and slow reaction times making them impractical for most applications. To overcome these issues, various approaches have been utilized to increase the conductivity of the PCM systems. One approach includes the utilization of porous, high thermal conductivity graphite foam infiltrated with a PCM. Here, a numerical approach was employed in order to study the graphite foam/PCM thermal energy storage system (TES). The numerical model was constructed to emulate an experimental set-up allowing for comparisons between the two. The numerical simulation results exhibited accurate time-dependent temperatures at various locations as well as a history of the melt-front’s progression when compared to the experimental data. Due to the model’s successful capture of the transient response of the TES, it is feasible to employ the numerical procedure for designing subsequent thermal energy storage systems.