Numerical Modeling of the MF /PCM Based Ocean Thermal Engine Using OpenFOAM

Capturing ocean thermal energy through the volume change of the phase change materials (PCMs) is a promising method for in-situ energy supply in the deep-sea environment. Due to the low thermal conductivity of PCM, the metal foam (MF) is widely used to enhance heat transfer inside PCMs. This study focuses on an MF/PCM based ocean thermal engine for achieving thermoelectric conversion. A numerical model of the solid-liquid phase change and pressure change process inside ocean thermal engines is proposed. The advantage of this model is that it takes into account the impact of system pressure on the PCM physical properties, and the nature convection process is solved directly without using any empirical equations to ensure the accuracy. An in-house code for solving the proposed model was developed using OpenFOAM and the experimental work was conducted for model validation. Results show that the developed code has good accuracy and convergency. Based on the numerical simulation, the influence of pressure parameters on the energy conversion process and output power of the engine was discussed.