Review on thermal energy storage with phase change materials using shell-and-tube heat storage unit

Abstract: A very common problem in solar power generation plants and various other industrial processes is the existing gap between the period of thermal energy availability and its period of usage. This situation creates the need for an effective method by which excess heat can be stored for later use. Latent thermal energy storage (LTES) is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy through which the disparity between energy production or availability and consumption can be corrected, thus avoiding wastage and increasing the process efficiency. This paper summarizes previous works on (LTES) using shell-and-tube heat storage unit, covering phase change materials (PCMs), in order to analyze the influence of several operating conditions and geometric parameters on the heat transfer process inside the unit, and their thermal performance analyzes.