ABSTRACT
This chapter presents basic information needed for predicting heat transfer and solid-liquid interface motion during the charging and discharging of Latent Heat of Fusion Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES). It discusses a sample phase-change heat transfer problem in cylindrical geometry and verification of the model for a specific system. The chapter reviews the numerical methods available for solving multidimensional phase-change heat transfer problems. It also discusses the explicit finite-difference scheme is subject to the usual stability criterion for the solution of parabolic differential equations. The chapter examines experimental evidence concerning the effects of natural convection during phase change. It focuses on some heat transfer considerations required for the design and modeling of LHTES units. The chapter also reviews rigorous as well as approximate methods for predicting interface position and heat transfer in configurations relevant to LHTES systems by taking into account buoyancy-driven motion in the liquid.
