Faculty Publications

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    Thermo-physical analysis of natural shellac wax as novel bio-phase change material for thermal energy storage applications
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2020) B.V., B.V.; Gumtapure, V.
    The high energy density of latent heat storage makes it more competent than other types of thermal energy storage (TES) systems. Studying thermophysical and rheological properties of phase change material (PCM) is required for effective storage design, simulation, and applications. Bio-based PCM (BPCM) is a renewable and eco-friendly option for commercial paraffin-based PCMs. This study intends to characterize the shellac wax using the conventional and non-conventional approach as novel BPCM. Analysis of Fourier transforms infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) indicates that shellac wax has aliphatic hydrocarbons, carboxylic acid, alcohol, and esters functional group. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows shellac wax has no mass change for operating temperature range (50–85 °C). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis reported enthalpy of melting and crystallization as 148 kJ/kg and 161 kJ/kg, respectively. The crystallization enthalpy measured in the T-history method (THM) is 210.5 kJ/kg. However, DSC analysis of sample undergone 0,100,200 and 300 thermal cycle shows no significant change in thermal properties. Other properties like thermal conductivity, density, specific heat and viscosity are comparable to the present PCM used in storage applications. The overall study outcome that shellac wax is thermally stable and is potential BPCM for the TES application like solar desalination, district heating, waste heat recovery and solar cooking. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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    Performance evaluation of novel tapered shell and tube cascaded latent heat thermal energy storage
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2021) B.V., B.V.; Nidhul, K.; Gumtapure, V.
    Geometric design of the storage system plays a vital role in the enhancement of heat transfer rate and thereby in the advancement of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) technology. The present study numerically compares the heat transfer performance of tapered type shell and tube cascaded latent heat storage (CLHS) model with that of the conventional cylindrical CLHS model with special emphasis on melting rate at the slowest melting portions (bottom) of the shell and tube unit. Thermal properties like transition temperature, latent, and specific heat of the three organic PCMs OM 42, OM 46, and OM 48 have been obtained using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the same is employed in the 2-D numerical simulation carried out using enthalpy-porosity method. Tapered CLHS unit exhibited superior performance owing to stronger natural convective currents demonstrated via streamlines, velocity, temperature and mass fraction contours. In tapered unit, 17.6% higher mean power is obtained for same volume of PCMs in cylindrical unit. In contrast, the mean power of the discharging process for a tapered type is 2.4% lesser than cylindrical type CLHS. The outcomes highlight that the tapered type CLHS model utilizes convective heat transfer, effectively enhancing the melting rate of PCM without any additional structural configurations such as fins. Hence is also economically justifiable for higher energy storage for the same volume compared to conventional cylindrical CLHS units. © 2020 International Solar Energy Society
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    Experimental investigation of shellac wax as potential bio-phase change material for medium temperature solar thermal energy storage applications
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022) B.V., B.V.; Thanaiah, K.; Gumtapure, V.
    Thermal performance of shellac wax as a novel bio-phase change material (BPCM) and Therminol®-55 as heat transfer fluid (HTF) in a vertical shell and tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit is analyzed experimentally. Operational parameters considered, namely HTF flow rate and inlet temperature in the range of 2–5 LPM and 100–120 °C, respectively. The comprehensive study of contours and plots reveals the impact of natural convection and the progress of the melting and solidification front in the charging and discharging process. As the HTF flow rate increases, the charging rate improves considerably, and a maximum reduction in melting time is obtained as 43.6% for 4 LPM. The maximum reduction in melting time and storage efficiency are 42.2% and 73.4%, respectively, at 120 °C and 4 LPM. However, the discharging process's increased flow rate has no significant effect on solidification and discharge efficiency, which attributes the dominant mode of heat transfer is conduction during the solidification. Shellac wax storage efficiency is comparable to existing paraffin wax, stearic acid and palmitic acid-based LHTES unit. In this regard, shellac wax can be a potential Bio-PCM for medium temperature range (60–80 °C) solar thermal applications such as domestic water heating and food drying. © 2021 International Solar Energy Society