A study into optimal design of an air-PCM thermal energy storage unit with CSM panels.

A latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit was optimized with the aim to maximize the overall heat transfer rates between the air and the PCM. The LHTES unit was an air-PCM heat exchanger consisting of a given number of CSM panels. The optimization was carried out for heat storage operation. The spacing of the panels and their thickness were considered in the study. The computer model of the unit was developed and implemented in MATLAB. A genetic algorithm was coupled with the thermal model of the unit in MATLAB to form an optimization model. The results of the study show the influence of the design and operation parameters on the overall performance of the LHTES unit.

本研究以最大化空气与相变材料（Phase Change Material, PCM）之间的总传热速率为目标，对潜热型热能存储（Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage, LHTES）单元开展优化设计。该LHTES单元为空气-PCM换热器，由给定数量的CSM面板（Chopped Strand Mat panels）组成。本次优化针对储热运行工况展开，研究中考量了面板间距与面板厚度两个设计参数。本研究搭建了该单元的计算机模型，并在MATLAB软件环境中完成实现。将遗传算法与MATLAB环境下该单元的热模型相耦合，构建了优化模型。研究结果阐明了设计与运行参数对LHTES单元整体性能的影响规律。