Thermal Energy Storage in Porous Media

Thermal Energy Storage in Porous Media introduces the new design concepts and operation strategies for the core part of heat and mass transfer in thermal energy storage tanks. With a strong focus on design, operation and optimization, the book presents the latest advances in thermal energy storage. Opening with an introduction to latent heat thermal storage, the book then discusses porous media enhanced thermal storage classifications, methods and characterizations. Subsequent topics include energy charging/discharging system design, numerical simulation models and verification, and an analysis of various melting/solidification laws. Finishing with a detailed presentation of applications and containing case studies and real-world examples throughout, this is an essential read for graduate students, researchers and engineers interested in thermal engineering, energy systems, and renewable energy. - Presents the emerging design concept of using porous media, such as metal foam, for heat transfer enhancement - Details mechanisms and processes for the transient phenomena of thermal energy storage/release process in porous media - Describes comparable analysis and modeling methods for the transient problem, including the volume-averaged method, pore-scale reconstruction approach, and the Lattice Boltzmann method