Investigation on effect of connection angle of "L" shaped fin on charging and discharging process of PCM in vertical enclosure

This study probes the effect of connection angle of "L" shaped fin on the melting and discharge process of a vertical PCM unit. The PCM enclosure had dimensions of 50 x50 mm and the L shaped fin was located at middle of enclosure. The enclosure was heated and cooled by considering constant temperature at the vertical wall. The Laurie acid was considered as the phase change material. Seven different coincidence angles of 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, -30 degrees, -60 degrees and -90 degrees were considered in present investigation. Results indicated that L shaped fin with Teta = -30 degrees could provide 14% reduction in the melting process. Furthermore, the case with Teta = 0 degrees provided 45% enhancement in solidification time. The outcomes revealed that maximum charging rate was associated with case with Teta = -30 degrees which had the value of 103.41 J/S and provided a 32% enhancement in comparison with the base case. Also, the best discharge rate for the solidification process was about 34.184 J/s which was related to case with Teta = 0 degrees and presented a 2.23 times improvement in the average solidification rate.