Solar-powered compact thermal energy storage system with rapid response time and rib-enhanced plate via techniques of CFD, ANN, and GA

Reducing carbon emissions is a vital approach to combat the global threat of climate change. As energy consumption continues to grow on a global scale, the shift towards renewable energy is crucial for maintaining sustainable development. Solar power, in particular, has emerged as a leading renewable resource due to its widespread availability and the potential to cover a significant portion of global energy demand. Nonetheless, the variability of solar energy poses challenges for ensuring a steady power supply. To overcome this, efficient energy storage systems, such as advanced batteries and thermal energy storage (TES) systems are essential. There is growing attention on solar energy storage, with a particular focus on phase change material (PCM) and TES systems. Here, a compact thermal energy storage (CTES) system with two heat transfer fluid plates and one rib-enhanced PCM plate was investigated to minimize the response time. RT42 was employed as the PCM within the plate. Selected for its suitable melting temperature range of 311.15–315.15 K, RT42 facilitates efficient thermal management, enabling effective storage and release of latent heat. Eight aluminum-made ribs were embedded to allow heat to penetrate deeper into the storage container. According to the several geometric parameters of the ribs such as angle of lower ribs, angle of upper ribs, and the distance between ribs, different configurations of ribbed CTES systems were introduced. Additionally, an artificial neural network-based anticipation model was introduced to predict system's melting performance, facilitating faster and more accurate optimization of design parameters. This innovative approach aids researchers in accelerating their future work on similar energy storage systems. Eventually, an optimal configuration (OC) was derived from the genetic algorithm and the anticipation model. Based on the results, the rib-less specimen took 19,648 s to melt completely, which was 118.2 % longer compared to the OC. This indicated a difference of nearly 3 h between the two systems, underscoring the effectiveness of the optimal configuration in conserving thermal energy throughout the day. Moreover, the rib-less system needed 130.5 % more time to melt 50 % of the PCM and 129.4 % more time to melt 80 % of the material. This stark difference further emphasized the efficiency of the OC in the entire stages of the charging in the CTES system. Among the ribbed specimens, there was a difference of about 41 min in the melting time, which highlights the importance of optimizing the geometric design in TES systems.