Numerical and Experimental Study on Topology Optimization of Fin Configuration in Latent Heat Storage
Abstract
Fin is an effective and low-cost way to enhance the heat transfer performance of latent heat storage, but its design lacks clear theoretical guidance. In this paper, a two-dimensional model is established based on topology optimization in order to optimize the fin configuration in the tube-and-shell latent heat storage. The effect of numerical parameters, such as filter radius and penalty factor on the optimal fin configuration is studied. The effect of natural convection on the optimal fin configuration is also discussed. Experimental validation is carried out in which the heat transfer performance of optimized fins, triangular fins and rectangular fins is compared. It is found that the optimized fins present tree distributions and show better heat transfer performance than other fins; numerical parameters and natural convection both have significate influence on the optimal fin configuration in latent heat storage.