Latest Publication from ComBioTES

Our partners CEA and DTU have just unveiled new research with acknowledgment of the ComBioTES project — now featured in the Journal of Energy Storage.

The study explores how to enhance heat transfer in latent thermal energy storage (LTES) systems—specifically through the use of vertical shell and multi-tube units. A validated 3D computational fluid dynamics model was developed to analyse melting and solidification behaviour within the system.

Key Findings:

• Discharging cycles occur faster than charging cycles
• Flow rate increase significantly reduces cycle times (up to 69%)
• Radial fins and tube inserts boost thermal performance
• Asymmetrical PCM behaviour between central and peripheral tubes.

This work lays valuable experimental and theoretical groundwork for improving LTES design and implementation in practical engineering contexts.

Read the full article here.