Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Applied Thermal Engineering, cilt.278, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
This study investigates the thermal performance of form-stable graphite matrix composites with phase change material (PCM) in a tube-in-shell configuration, addressing a critical research gap through detailed experimental evaluation. The paper combines real-scale experimentation and systematic parameter variation, offering innovative insights into application-oriented design of thermal energy storage systems beyond previous small-scale or simulation-based studies.Experiments were conducted using different graphite matrix densities (0, 25, 50, and 75 g/l) under varying heat transfer fluid (HTF) inlet temperatures (75–85 °C) and flow rates (100–280 l/h). Results demonstrate that graphite matrix density significantly enhances thermal performance, with the 25, 50, and 75 g/l composites reducing melting time by 89 %, 93.6 %, and 95.3 % respectively compared to pure PCM at 190 l/h flow rate and 80 °C inlet temperature. Heat storage rate improved dramatically with increasing bulk density, with the 75 g/l composite achieving 56 W/kg, 15 times higher than pure PCM (3.3 W/kg). HTF inlet temperature significantly affected melting dynamics, with an increase from 75 °C to 85 °C (at 280 l/h) reducing melting time by 19–50 % for the various composites respectively. Flow rate effects varied with bulk density, showing a 16 % melting time reduction for the 75 g/l composite when increasing from 100 to 280 l/h. The 50 g/l graphite matrix composite operating at 80 °C HTF temperature and 190 l/h flow rate represents the ideal configuration, providing a nearly 94 % reduction in melting time while preserving 84 % of the storage capacity.